Parasitoid biology preserved in mineralized fossils

Thomas van de Kamp (), Achim H. Schwermann (), Tomy dos Santos Rolo, Philipp D. Lösel, Thomas Engler, Walter Etter, Tomáš Faragó, Jörg Göttlicher, Vincent Heuveline, Andreas Kopmann, Bastian Mähler, Thomas Mörs, Janes Odar, Jes Rust, Nicholas Tan Jerome, Matthias Vogelgesang, Tilo Baumbach and Lars Krogmann ()
Additional contact information
Thomas van de Kamp: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Achim H. Schwermann: LWL-Museum of Natural History
Tomy dos Santos Rolo: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Philipp D. Lösel: Heidelberg University
Thomas Engler: University of Bonn
Walter Etter: Natural History Museum Basel
Tomáš Faragó: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Jörg Göttlicher: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Vincent Heuveline: Heidelberg University
Andreas Kopmann: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Bastian Mähler: University of Bonn
Thomas Mörs: Swedish Museum of Natural History
Janes Odar: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Jes Rust: University of Bonn
Nicholas Tan Jerome: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Matthias Vogelgesang: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Tilo Baumbach: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Lars Krogmann: State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract About 50% of all animal species are considered parasites. The linkage of species diversity to a parasitic lifestyle is especially evident in the insect order Hymenoptera. However, fossil evidence for host–parasitoid interactions is extremely rare, rendering hypotheses on the evolution of parasitism assumptive. Here, using high-throughput synchrotron X-ray microtomography, we examine 1510 phosphatized fly pupae from the Paleogene of France and identify 55 parasitation events by four wasp species, providing morphological and ecological data. All species developed as solitary endoparasitoids inside their hosts and exhibit different morphological adaptations for exploiting the same hosts in one habitat. Our results allow systematic and ecological placement of four distinct endoparasitoids in the Paleogene and highlight the need to investigate ecological data preserved in the fossil record.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05654-y

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