Male mosquitoes used to suck blood in past but they ‘evolved,’ study claims

Years of research have established that only female mosquitoes feed on blood as male mosquitoes don’t have mouth parts that the females use to pierce skin.

But after analysing one of the earliest-known mosquito fossils from Lower Cretaceous amber from Lebanon, researchers in a study published Monday (Dec 4) have claimed that male mosquitoes may also have sucked bloodin the past.

According to the New York Times, Lebanese amber is rich in preserved fossils, called inclusions, and dates to around 125 million years in the early Cretaceous period.

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How was the discovery made?

Dany Azar, a palaeontologist at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Lebanese University and the lead author of the paper took out a thin slice of the amber containing the fossil and put it under a microscope.

What he saw then took him by utmost surprise.

“To my big surprise, I said, ‘Oh, gosh, this is a mosquito,’” Azar was quoted as saying by New York Times.

After further examination, Azar observed the mosquito had pincerlike organs called claspers on their abdomens. The presence of these organs led Azar to think about an unbelievable possibility: Male mosquitoes might have been sucking blood in the past.

“We think now that, originally, the mosquito could be bloodsucking,” Azar said. “With the appearance of the flowering plant, this function could be just forgotten later on during the evolution of these insects,” he added.

Why have male mosquitoes abandoned blood-sucking?

Mosquitoes generally don’t prefer blood-sucking as it involves a riskier strategy to feed off a living organism.

Today, only female mosquitoes do so, that too when they require extra energy for reproduction.

Male mosquitoes evolved to abandon blood-sucking as they aren’t required to produce eggs and can easily manage while feeding on nectar and plant juices.

Limitations of the study

As fascinating as the discovery may sound, it is still possible that the fossil in question might turn out to be something else and not a mosquito.

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Also, it is possible that the bristly mouth parts that the scientists are referring to as ‘bloodsucking organs’ were meant for some different use altogether.

(With inputs from agencies)