Fossil researchers have discovered a new genus and species of tiny wasp with a mysterious ball-like structure at the end of each antennae. A study led by George Poinar Jr., a visiting professor in OSU's College of Science, describes the tiny female wasp from Burmese amber preserved about 100 million years ago.
Researchers have discovered a new genus and species of micro-bee from 100-million-year-old Burmese amber. This wasp has a unique spherical structure on its antennae, shaped like a cloud. The origin and purpose of these structures remain a mystery, with no similar features found in any known insect. Image credit: Courtesy of George Poinar Jr., OSU College of Science.
Speculating on the mysterious "cloud"
Bonnar and independent researcher Fernando Vega of Silver Spring, Maryland, have some ideas about the "cloud" on the tentacles, but they're not sure what they are.
"We could not find any fossil or living insect with such an antennal structure," said Poinar, an international expert on using plant and animal life forms preserved in amber to understand the biology and ecology of the distant past. We wondered how it could still fly despite being so heavy. "
Microwasps are wasps whose adult body length is less than 2 mm. Today, there are thousands of species of parasitic wasps distributed in hundreds of genera. He added that some parasitic wasps can be used to control lepidopteran insects, which can be crop pests.
"This microwasp is only 1.3 millimeters long. This, along with its 15-segmented antennae, the deep slit in the center of its head and the characteristics of its wings, set it apart from all other microbraconid wasps. The unique microscopic cloud-like structure that sticks to the antennae must be an annoyance for this tiny parasite in action," Poinar said.
Since the researchers were unable to find such structures in any other insect, living or extinct, they could only guess based on experience what these structures might be.
"They could be tiny plant seeds, plant secretions, or the eggs of a wasp-parasitic host," Poinar said. "It's very likely that this little wasp was parasitic on a lepidopteran, because there's also a male lepidopteran embedded in the same piece of amber. Whatever they are, finding these is one of the reasons why our work is so interesting and challenging: finding key, unique features in extinct organisms."
The scientists named the new specimen Caradiophyodussaradae. The genus' name comes from the Greek words for head (kara) and fissure (diaphyodus), while the species is named in homage to scientist Sarada Krishnan.