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The earliest fossil mosquito.

Dany Azar1, André Nel2, Diying Huang3

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; Lebanese University, Faculty of Science II, Natural Sciences Department, Fanar - El-Matn, P.O. Box 90656 Jdeidet, Beirut, Lebanon.

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Male mosquitoes with piercing mouthparts discovered in Lower Cretaceous amber suggest an earlier origin for blood-feeding in mosquitoes. This finding extends the fossil record and provides insights into the evolution of hematophagy.

Keywords:
CulicidaeLebanese amberLower Cretaceousdeveloped mouthpartsmale hematophagynew family

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Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Entomology

Background:

  • Female mosquitoes are notorious blood-feeding insects, known for causing allergic reactions and transmitting pathogens.
  • Insect hematophagy likely evolved from plant-feeding, with piercing-sucking mouthparts exapted for vertebrate blood-feeding.
  • The fossil record for ancient hematophagous lineages, especially mosquitoes, is sparse, hindering understanding of blood-feeding origins and timing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary origins and early diversification of blood-feeding in mosquitoes.
  • To extend the definitive fossil occurrence of the Culicidae family into the Early Cretaceous.
  • To provide insights into the paleoecology and evolutionary context of early hematophagy.

Main Methods:

  • Discovery and analysis of exceptionally preserved mosquito fossils in Lower Cretaceous amber from Lebanon.
  • Morphological examination of fossilized mouthparts, focusing on mandibles and laciniae.
  • Phylogenetic placement of the fossil lineage within the Culicidae family.

Main Results:

  • Discovery of two conspecific male mosquitoes with piercing-sucking mouthparts, including denticulate mandibles and laciniae.
  • These male fossils suggest hematophagous behavior, challenging the assumption that only female mosquitoes fed on blood.
  • The fossils represent a lineage diverging earlier than Burmaculicinae, extending the family's definitive occurrence to the Early Cretaceous.

Conclusions:

  • The discovery of hematophagous male mosquitoes in the Early Cretaceous pushes back the known fossil record of the Culicidae family.
  • These findings narrow the 'ghost-lineage' gap for mosquitoes and provide crucial evidence for the early evolution of blood-feeding.
  • The presence of specialized piercing mouthparts in males suggests a more complex evolutionary history of hematophagy in mosquitoes than previously understood.