Latest news with #BMCBiology
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
This deadly prehistoric wasp captured prey with 'Venus flytrap' abs
In Greek mythology, the sea monster Charybdis swallowed and regurgitated large volumes of water, creating whirlpools powerful enough to drag passing ships to their doom. Ninety-nine million years earlier, in the mid-Cretaceous, the wasp Sirenobethylus charybdis deployed a similar deadly trap that earned it a scientific name inspired by the mythological monster. A Venus flytrap-like structure on the wasp's abdomen held captives in place as the wasp deposited its eggs into its victim, forcing it to incubate its offspring. That's the finding of a new paper published in the journal BMC Biology that examined dozens of wasps entrapped in amber. 'This discovery reveals that ancient insects had already developed sophisticated prey capture strategies,' says Wu Qiong, the lead author and a doctoral student from the College of Life Sciences at Capital Normal University, 'It's reshaping our understanding of parasitic wasp evolution.' The amber containing the specimen Sirenobethylus charybdis is no larger than a dime. In 2015, a Chinese fossil collector purchased these fossils from Myanmar's Kachin state and donated them to Capital Normal University of China. To the naked eye, Sirenobethylus charybdis looks like a modern wasp with a wider-than-average abdomen. 'At first, we attributed this to deformation during preservation, especially since such deformation and distortion is common during fossilization,' says Wu. But under closer inspection—through microscope and CT scans—a remarkable structure was revealed. The abdominal tip of the wasp featured three flaps arranged in a configuration similar to a Venus flytrap. On multiple fossils, the lower flap opened at slightly different angles, suggesting it can move and grab onto things. Just like a Venus flytrap, the underside of the lower flap is also lined with long, flexible hairs that sense movement. When an unsuspecting insect triggered these hairs, it may have activated the swift closure of the abdominal flaps, allowing the wasp to secure the host. Scientists don't think the wasp killed its victims right away but instead used it as a living incubator for its offspring. Numerous stiff, hair-like structures on the upper side of the lower flap, along with the relatively pliable middle flap, would gently but firmly secure the host until the wasp finished laying its eggs. Only then would the wasp release its captive. 'The 'Venus flytrap' structure exhibited by the abdomen of Sirenobethylus charybdis is unprecedented in the entire history of Mesozoic insect research,' says Wu, 'nor has anything similar been documented in living insects.' Chenyang Cai, who was not involved in the study, is a paleoentomologist at Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He praised the fossil wasp as a 'unique' discovery. He explained that Sirenobethylus charybdis is 'very different from today's wasps or other insects' and its existence 'highlights the diversity of insects in the mid-Cretaceous period, revealing forms we had never imagined'. Scientists don't know which insects Sirenobethylus charybdis used to host its eggs. Given the small size of its trapping structure, these hosts were possibly tiny, agile insects such as springtails or small flies. By studying similar species living today, the team pieced together other theories about this prehistoric wasp. As a distant relative of Sirenobethylus charybdis, the present-day pincer wasp has also evolved the ability to trap its host—temporarily restraining it, laying eggs, and then releasing it. Female pincer wasps have front legs modified with a pinching apparatus, allowing them to firmly grasp hosts when they lay eggs. These wingless hunters, with large eyes and slender legs, are well adapted for moving swiftly and capturing other insects. In contrast, Sirenobethylus charybdis appears to be more cumbersome. They have smaller eyes and shorter legs, which suggest they were slower than pincer wasps. The grasping structure located at the rear of their body also makes it difficult to capture hosts in motion. Based on these characteristics, researchers think it was a sit-and-wait predator—likely remaining stationary and ambushing hosts that wandered too close. Mid-Cretaceous amber fossils like this one, noted Cai, reveal insects of that age were 'incredibly diverse—perhaps even more specialized in some cases than what we see today.' Such findings, he emphasizes, are 'a crucial reminder that studying only living species will never give us the complete story of evolution.'
National Geographic
15-05-2025
- Science
- National Geographic
This deadly prehistoric wasp captured prey with 'Venus flytrap' abs
In Greek mythology, the sea monster Charybdis swallowed and regurgitated large volumes of water, creating whirlpools powerful enough to drag passing ships to their doom. Ninety-nine million years earlier, in the mid-Cretaceous, the wasp Sirenobethylus charybdis deployed a similar deadly trap that earned it a scientific name inspired by the mythological monster. A Venus flytrap-like structure on the wasp's abdomen held captives in place as the wasp deposited its eggs into its victim, forcing it to incubate its offspring. That's the finding of a new paper published in the journal BMC Biology that examined dozens of wasps entrapped in amber. 'This discovery reveals that ancient insects had already developed sophisticated prey capture strategies,' says Wu Qiong, the lead author and a doctoral student from the College of Life Sciences at Capital Normal University, 'It's reshaping our understanding of parasitic wasp evolution.' The amber containing the specimen Sirenobethylus charybdis is no larger than a dime. In 2015, a Chinese fossil collector purchased these fossils from Myanmar's Kachin state and donated them to Capital Normal University of China. To the naked eye, Sirenobethylus charybdis looks like a modern wasp with a wider-than-average abdomen. 'At first, we attributed this to deformation during preservation, especially since such deformation and distortion is common during fossilization,' says Wu. But under closer inspection—through microscope and CT scans—a remarkable structure was revealed. The abdominal tip of the wasp featured three flaps arranged in a configuration similar to a Venus flytrap. On multiple fossils, the lower flap opened at slightly different angles, suggesting it can move and grab onto things. Just like a Venus flytrap, the underside of the lower flap is also lined with long, flexible hairs that sense movement. A closer examination of the fossil revealed a feature that allowed the wasp to grasp prey, similar to a Venus flytrap. When an unsuspecting insect triggered these hairs, it may have activated the swift closure of the abdominal flaps, allowing the wasp to secure the host. Scientists don't think the wasp killed its victims right away but instead used it as a living incubator for its offspring. Numerous stiff, hair-like structures on the upper side of the lower flap, along with the relatively pliable middle flap, would gently but firmly secure the host until the wasp finished laying its eggs. Only then would the wasp release its captive. 'The 'Venus flytrap' structure exhibited by the abdomen of Sirenobethylus charybdis is unprecedented in the entire history of Mesozoic insect research,' says Wu, 'nor has anything similar been documented in living insects.' Chenyang Cai, who was not involved in the study, is a paleoentomologist at Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He praised the fossil wasp as a 'unique' discovery. He explained that Sirenobethylus charybdis is 'very different from today's wasps or other insects' and its existence 'highlights the diversity of insects in the mid-Cretaceous period, revealing forms we had never imagined'. Scientists don't know which insects Sirenobethylus charybdis used to host its eggs. Given the small size of its trapping structure, these hosts were possibly tiny, agile insects such as springtails or small flies. By studying similar species living today, the team pieced together other theories about this prehistoric wasp. As a distant relative of Sirenobethylus charybdis, the present-day pincer wasp has also evolved the ability to trap its host—temporarily restraining it, laying eggs, and then releasing it. Female pincer wasps have front legs modified with a pinching apparatus, allowing them to firmly grasp hosts when they lay eggs. These wingless hunters, with large eyes and slender legs, are well adapted for moving swiftly and capturing other insects. In contrast, Sirenobethylus charybdis appears to be more cumbersome. They have smaller eyes and shorter legs, which suggest they were slower than pincer wasps. The grasping structure located at the rear of their body also makes it difficult to capture hosts in motion. Based on these characteristics, researchers think it was a sit-and-wait predator—likely remaining stationary and ambushing hosts that wandered too close. Mid-Cretaceous amber fossils like this one, noted Cai, reveal insects of that age were 'incredibly diverse—perhaps even more specialized in some cases than what we see today.' Such findings, he emphasizes, are 'a crucial reminder that studying only living species will never give us the complete story of evolution.'
NBC News
31-03-2025
- Science
- NBC News
A Venus flytrap wasp? Scientists uncover an ancient insect preserved in amber that snatched its prey
NEW YORK — An ancient wasp may have zipped among the dinosaurs, with a body like a Venus flytrap to seize and snatch its prey, scientists reported Wednesday. The parasitic wasp's abdomen boasts a set of flappy paddles lined with thin bristles, resembling 'a small bear trap attached to the end of it,' said study co-author Lars Vilhelmsen from the Natural History Museum of Denmark. Scientists uncovered over a dozen female wasps preserved in 99-million-year-old amber from the Kachin region in northern Myanmar. The wasp's flaps and teeth-like hairs resemble the structure of the carnivorous Venus flytrap plant, which snaps shut to digest unsuspecting insects. But the design of the wasp's getup made scientists think its trap was designed to cushion, not crush. Instead, researchers suggested the flytrap-like structure was used to hold a wriggly insect still while the wasp laid an egg, depositing a baby wasp to feed on and drain its new host. It's a playbook adapted by many parasitic wasps, including modern-day cuckoo and bethylid wasps, to exploit insects. But no known wasp or any other insect does so with bizarre flaps quite like this one. 'I've seen a lot of strange insects, but this has to be one of the most peculiar-looking ones I've seen in a while,' said entomologist Lynn Kimsey from the University of California, Davis, who was not involved with the research. Scientists named the new wasp Sirenobethylus Charybdis, partly for the sea monster from Greek mythology that stirred up wild whirlpools by swallowing and expelling water. The new study, which was published in the journal BMC Biology, involved researchers from Capital Normal University and the Beijing Xiachong Amber Museum in China. It's unclear when the wasp went extinct. Studying unusual insects like this one can help scientists understand what insects are capable of and how different they can be. 'We tend to think that the cool things are only found today,' said Gabriel Melo, a wasp expert at the Federal University of Paraná in Brazil, who had no role in the study. 'But when we have this opportunity, we see that many really exceptional, odd things already happened.'
Arab News
30-03-2025
- Science
- Arab News
A Venus flytrap wasp? Scientists uncover an ancient insect preserved in amber that snatched its prey
NEW YORK: An ancient wasp may have zipped among the dinosaurs, with a body like a Venus flytrap to seize and snatch its prey, a new study says. The parasitic wasp's abdomen boasts a set of flappy paddles lined with thin bristles, resembling 'a small bear trap attached to the end of it,' said study co-author Lars Vilhelmsen from the Natural History Museum of Denmark. Scientists uncovered over a dozen female wasps preserved in 99-million-year-old amber from the Kachin region in northern Myanmar. The wasp's flaps and teeth-like hairs resemble the structure of the carnivorous Venus flytrap plant, which snaps shut to digest unsuspecting insects. But the design of the wasp's getup made scientists think its trap was designed to cushion, not crush. Instead, researchers suggested the flytrap-like structure was used to hold a wriggly insect still while the wasp laid an egg, depositing a baby wasp to feed on and drain its new host. It's a playbook adapted by many parasitic wasps, including modern-day cuckoo and bethylid wasps, to exploit insects. But no known wasp or any other insect does so with bizarre flaps quite like this one. 'I've seen a lot of strange insects, but this has to be one of the most peculiar-looking ones I've seen in a while,' said entomologist Lynn Kimsey from the University of California, Davis, who was not involved with the research. Scientists named the new wasp Sirenobethylus charybdis, partly for the sea monster from Greek mythology that stirred up wild whirlpools by swallowing and expelling water. The new study was published in the journal BMC Biology and included researchers from Capital Normal University and the Beijing Xiachong Amber Museum in China. It's unclear when the wasp went extinct. Studying unusual insects like this one can help scientists understand what insects are capable of and how different they can be. 'We tend to think that the cool things are only found today,' said Gabriel Melo, a wasp expert at the Federal University of Paraná in Brazil, who had no role in the study. 'But when we have this opportunity, we see that many really exceptional, odd things already happened.'
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Dinosaur-era wasp may have snatched its prey: ‘Truly fascinating'
The Brief Scientists discovered an ancient wasp species, Sirenobethylus charybdis, preserved in 99-million-year-old amber from Myanmar. The wasp's structure resembles a Venus flytrap, believed to have been used to hold prey still while laying eggs. The analysis sheds light on parasitic wasp evolution, showing advanced prey capture strategies much earlier than previously thought. BEIJING - An ancient wasp species, believed to have lived alongside the dinosaurs, was found preserved in 99-million-year-old amber from northern Myanmar, scientists in Beijing, China reported. Now, the researchers are analyzing the species, named Sirenobethylus charybdis, which exhibits an extraordinary feature: a body structure resembling that of a Venus flytrap, an iconic carnivorous plant. The findings were published Thursday in the journal BMC Biology. What they're saying Dr. Taiping GAO, a lead researcher on the study, told FOX TV Stations that the first discovery of this amber specimen occurred more than a decade ago, but at the time, the researchers assumed its structure had been deformed during preservation. "Over the years, we found more than ten similar amber pieces, confirming that this was not a deformation," GAO told FOX. "This raised our curiosity – what was the function of this intricate and complex structure? That question led us to conduct further research." Researchers suggested the flytrap-like structure was used to hold a wriggly insect still while the wasp laid an egg, depositing a baby wasp to feed on and drain its new host. "The discovery was truly fascinating!," GAO continued. "It provided key insights into the prey capture strategies of early parasitoid wasps, shedding light on their diverse parasitic behaviors in deep time. Finding direct fossil evidence of such a sophisticated mechanism challenges our previous understanding of parasitoid evolution and suggests that these insects developed complex host-handling adaptations much earlier than expected. It's exciting to see how ancient parasitoids might have been just as specialized and efficient as their modern counterparts!" It's unclear when the wasp went extinct. Studying unusual insects like this one can help scientists understand what insects are capable of and how different they can be. RELATED: Animal rarely seen off North Carolina coast spotted for first time in 5 years "I hope readers take away a deeper appreciation for the complexity and diversity of parasitoid wasps, even in deep time," GAO added. This discovery highlights how ancient insects had already evolved sophisticated prey capture strategies, challenging our understanding of parasitoid evolution. It also underscores the importance of fossils in revealing behaviors that might otherwise be lost to history." What's next In the future, the researchers hope to explore the behavior and unique adaptations of Mesozoic parasitoid wasps to gain deeper insights into their survival strategies. The Source The information for this story was provided by the study "A cretaceous fly trap? remarkable abdominal modification in a fossil wasp" published on March 27, 2025. The Associated Press contributed. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
