Bizarre parasite from the Jurassic
Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 18:30
in Paleontology & Archaeology
This reconstruction shows how scientists think the fly larvae adhered to the skin of the amphibian. Around 165 million years ago, a spectacular parasite was at home in the freshwater lakes of present-day Inner Mongolia (China): A fly larva with a thorax formed entirely like a sucking plate. With it, the animal could adhere to salamanders and suck their blood with its mouthparts formed like a sting. To date no insect is known that is equipped with a similar specialised design. The international scientific team is now presenting its findings in the journal "eLIFE".