Male Mosquitoes with Piercing Mouthparts
April 13 , 2024
283 days
546
- Palaeontologists have described a new species of mosquito found in 125-million-year-old amber from Lebanon.
- The males of the new species unexpectedly had piercing mouthparts, armed with sharp mandibles, and were likely hematophagous.
- It suggests that male mosquitoes in the past fed on blood as well.
- The new specimens represent a new species of mosquitoes, Libanoculex intermedius.
- Mosquitoes are approximately 3,600 species of small flies comprising the family Culicidae.
- Female mosquitoes are among the most notorious hematophagous (blood-feeding) insects, sometimes causing severe allergic responses.
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