Bizarre parasite from the Jurassic

(University of Bonn) Around 165 million years ago, a spectacular parasite was at home in the freshwater lakes of present-day Inner Mongolia, China: A fly larva with a thorax formed entirely like a sucking plate. With it, the animal could adhere to salamanders and suck their blood with its mouthparts formed like a sting. To date no insect is known that is equipped with a similar specialized design. The international scientific team is now presenting its findings in the journal 'eLIFE.'
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news