In a fascinating development, researchers have announced the discovery of an ancient wasp species that might have coexisted with dinosaurs, using a unique body structure resembling that of a Venus flytrap to capture its prey. The unique features of this wasp, such as an abdomen equipped with flappy paddles lined with bristles, bear resemblance to a “small bear trap,” explained Lars Vilhelmsen from the Natural History Museum of Denmark.
The wasps, identified as female specimens, were found preserved in amber deposits, approximately 99 million years old, from the Kachin region of northern Myanmar. The wasp’s structural design, similar to the mechanism of the Venus flytrap plant, intrigued scientists, leading them to theorize its purpose. Unlike the plant’s trap which crushes, the wasp’s design seems intended for immobilizing rather than destroying.
Researchers propose that this unusual anatomical feature enabled the ancient wasps to hold prey firmly in place as they laid eggs. This process allowed the emerging larvae to then feed off the living host. Known techniques of parasitic wasps today, including cuckoo and bethylid wasps, exhibit similar egg-depositing behaviors, yet none with such unusual apparatus as these prehistoric wasps.
Entomologist Lynn Kimsey from the University of California, Davis, who was not a part of the research team, remarked on the peculiarity of the wasp’s appearance, deeming it one of the more bizarre creatures encountered. This newly identified wasp species has been named Sirenobethylus charybdis, drawing inspiration from a mythical creature in Greek mythology known for creating whirlpools by swallowing and regurgitating water.
The study documenting this discovery was published in BMC Biology and involved collaboration among researchers from Capital Normal University and Beijing Xiachong Amber Museum in China. The exact timeline of the extinction of these wasps remains unknown, but studying such unique insects offers scientists valuable insights into the diverse capabilities and evolutionary adaptations of these creatures.
Gabriel Melo, a wasp specialist at the Federal University of Paraná in Brazil, who did not contribute to the study, emphasized that these findings highlight the extraordinary diversity that existed in the past. He remarked that unique and bizarre adaptations are not solely a modern phenomenon but have been present throughout history.