A new study has discovered ancient nematodes feeding on false scorpions captured in Baltic amber fossils. The early bird catches the worm, but according to fossil studies by Oregon State University scientists, the early bird catches the arthropods. This intriguing finding was the result of examining a sample of Baltic amber; This example showed that millions of years ago, tiny worms known as nematodes lived inside and fed on the false scorpions’ outer protective layer.
“This is very strange,” said George Poinar Jr., an expert in the analysis of life forms preserved in amber and an assistant professor in the OSU College of Science. “No other invertebrate-associated nematodes are known to have this specialized habit.” These findings were detailed in the journal Historical Biology.
False scorpions and nematodes: ancient ecology
False scorpions, as described by Poinard, are a diverse lineage of arthropods. They are smaller than scorpions, have no sting or tail, and live in a wide variety of environments around the world. These creatures are associated with a wide variety of parasitic organisms, including nematodes. Nematodes are among the most common animals on the planet; It is “free-living” in water, soil and crust and is parasitic on many plant and animal species.
Fossil nematodes studied by Poinar display well-developed spear-like structures known as stylets. The nematode uses its stylet, like a hypodermic needle, to puncture cells and extract food; in this case, supposedly from the scorpion’s hypodermis, which is part of the scorpion’s outer covering known as skin.
Classification of fossils and results of the study
“Besides the fact that the stylets and some females are still ovulating, other relevant features are not clearly visible,” Poinar said. “I thus placed the nematodes in the established collective group of the genus Vetus, established in 1935 for fossil nematodes that could not be assigned to any known family.”
Poinar notes that estimates of the age of Baltic amber vary widely, from 23 million years to 55 million years, depending on who did the classification and what method was used.
“It is very unusual that some nematodes can create unique parasitic associations like the ones we see,” Poinar said. “We hope that this first paper will encourage researchers to conduct further research and find more information about the systematic settlement of these nematodes.”
Source: Port Altele
