Ancient Parasite Used a Trap-like Appendage To Lay Eggs in Hosts

If you ever find yourself in the time of dinosaurs, avoid touching flowers—they might be parasitic wasps in disguise. A study of wasps trapped in amber reveals that these insects ensnared hosts for their larvae using a Venus flytrap-like appendage.

Named Sirenobethylus charybdis, this wasp lived around 99 million years ago, and at first glance, it resembles modern wasps. However, a closer look at its abdomen reveals a bizarre, flower-shaped trap. Researchers from Capital Normal University in China and the Natural History Museum of Denmark analyzed 16 amber-preserved specimens using micro-CT scans. They discovered that the wasp’s abdomen consisted of three flaps capable of opening and closing like petals.

The lower flap featured spines and a dozen hair-like bristles at its tip, likely functioning as sensory triggers—similar to those on a Venus flytrap—that signaled when prey was near. However, the soft spines in the center suggest the trap wasn’t meant to crush victims. Instead, the wasp had a far more sinister purpose.

A Deadly Trap: Parasitic Wasp Uses Venus Flytrap-Like Mechanism to Inject Eggs into Hosts

Once a host insect entered the trap, the wasp could quickly snap it shut and deliver a paralyzing sting. This allowed the ovipositor, a specialized egg-laying appendage, to inject eggs into the immobilized host. Afterward, the wasp released its victim, but the real horror had just begun. Once the eggs hatched, the larvae consumed the host from within—a fate similar to that inflicted by modern parasitic wasps.

Researchers believe S. charybdis targeted small flying or hopping insects but lacked the speed to chase them down. Instead, it evolved this ambush strategy, unlike any parasite known today. This discovery highlights that eerie insect horror stories have played out since the age of dinosaurs.

The study was published in BMC Biology, and a micro-CT scan of the wasp can be seen in the video below.

Read Original Article: New Atlas

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