The Oldest Mosquito Fossils Reveal that Male Mosquitoes Fed on Blood
The preserved specimens of amber display distinct mouthparts that are currently found only in female individuals
A mosquito is probably female if you swat it on your arm or neck. Only female mosquitoes feed on blood, providing the protein they need to develop eggs. Males consume plant fluids and nectar as females’ skin-piercing mouthparts are absent. It may not have always been the case, though.
In the early Cretaceous, about 125 million years ago, at least some male mosquitoes had acute mandibles and a long appendage with tooth-like bristles, resembling the piercing features of modern females, according to research published on Monday in Current Biology.
Earliest Fossilized Mosquitoes Confirm Blood-Feeding Behavior
These ancient bloodsuckers were discovered by researchers interred in amber harvested in central Lebanon 15 years ago. These are the earliest fossilized mosquitoes found. The New York Times said on Monday that the discoveries provide solid proof that the earliest known mosquitoes, both male and female, sucked blood from their hosts.
It’s possible that mosquitoes originally were bloodsuckers, the researchers speculate, rather than developing to be bloodsuckers later in evolution. If this is the case, males might have only lost capacity when blooming plants became more widespread in the Cretaceous, providing them with a food supply without worrying about being swatted.
Read the original article on: SCIENCE
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