- Ancient mosquitoes reveal bloodsucking surprise
- Male fossils challenge evolution theories
- Mosquitoes aid water purification
The earliest mosquito fossils discovered have unveiled a “bloodsucking surprise.”
Two male remains discovered in amber 130 million years ago exhibited elongated, piercing-sucking mouthparts that are now exclusive to females (which are the only ones capable of biting).
The discovery is “significant in the evolutionary history of mosquitoes,” according to the paleontologist in charge of the research team.
Vegetarian Ancestor Theory
These scientists argued that the male specimens provided support for an improbable origin theory for the bloodsucking mosquito: the insect might have evolved from a vegetarian ancestor that fed on plants.
The specimens were discovered in Lebanon, in the vicinity of Hammana, according to a report published this week by researchers.
Palaeontologist Dany Azar of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Lebanese University stated, “It is indisputable that they were hematophagous [blood-eating].”
Azar stated, “We believe that hematophagy was a transition from sucking plant liquid to sucking blood in all hematophagous insects.”
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The feeding divergence between male and female mosquitoes may have been influenced by plant evolution as well, according to Azar, the study’s primary author, and co-author of the research article published in Current Biology this week.
Impact of Plant Evolution
These two male mosquitoes became trapped in tree sap, which turned into amber during the Cretaceous epoch, when flowering plants were appearing.
Azar further stated, “The fact that these earliest-known mosquitoes are bloodsucking males indicates that the earliest mosquitoes, males and females alike, were hematophagous.”
Azar et al. say ancient mosquito mouthparts that devour blood penetrated plants for nutrient-rich fluids. These mouthparts may have evolved back into plants.
In an interview with Reuters, Azar suggested that flowering plants may have led male hemophagy to disappear. This co-occurred with the formation of Lebanese amber.
Hundreds of thousands of people are killed annually by malaria and other maladies transmitted by mosquito bites. All of these diseases are transmitted by females.
Mosquito Feeding Habits and Disease Transmission
Azar stated, “Mosquitoes are notorious for feeding on the blood of humans and the majority of terrestrial vertebrates, and they transmit a variety of parasites and diseases to their hosts.”
The scientist noted, “Only fertilised female mosquitoes will draw blood because their eggs require proteins to develop.”
Males and unfertilized females consume a small amount of plant nectar. Additionally, certain males do not consume any food, he continued.
Although certain flying insects, such as tsetse flies, produce hematophagous males. The males of approximately 3,500 species of modern mosquitoes worldwide do not.
Pelebotrist and study co-author André Nel of the National Museum of Natural History of Paris told Reuters, “The discovery of this behaviour during the Cretaceous is quite surprising.”
Scholars observed that the fossils of the two Cretaceous mosquitoes exquisitely preserved their delicate anatomical structures.
The anatomical features of both specimens were notably pointed, triangle-shaped jaws with an elongated structure resembling teeth.
Such specimens would have been nourished by an abundance of creatures, including dinosaurs, pterosaurs (airborne reptiles), birds, mammals, and other reptiles.
According to the researchers, these mosquito fossils are the oldest at this time; however, this species of insect most likely emerged millions of years earlier.
They noted that molecular evidence indicates mosquitoes originated during the Jurassic Period, between 200 million and 145 million years ago.
Presently, contemporary mosquito populations have spread to all regions, with the exception of Antarctica.
Specific individuals serve as vectors for the transmission of diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, Zika fever, and malaria.
The United Nations World Health Organisation reports that malaria, a parasitic infection, claims the lives of over 400,000 individuals annually. The majority of these individuals are children younger than five years old.
Nel remarked, however, that mosquitoes aid in the purification of water in lakes, ponds, and rivers. “An animal can be both problematic and beneficial in general.”
