#strepsiptera

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Did you know that Bahiaxenos Relictus is the only member of its taxonomic family? This relatively recent discovery and description (2009) is only known to be found around sand dunes near Rio São Francisco in Bahia, Brazil. This small strepsipteran has 8 antenna segments which is unique among living strepsipterans.

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Invertebrate Tarot:

Card 7: The Lovers

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Order: Strepsiptera

Common Name: no common name, sometimes called “twisted-wing insects” or “twisted-winged parasites”, referencing the English translation of the order name

Families: 10 - Bahiaxenidae, Mengenillidae, Bohartillidae, Halictophagidae, Callipharixenidae, Corioxenidae, Elenchidae, Myrmecolacidae, Xenidae, and Stylopidae

Anatomy: larvae are grublike, covered in minute hair-like structures (microtrichia); well-developed, large, bristle-like cerci at the back of the body are attached to muscles, which allow the larvae to jump; the tarsal segment of their legs have structures which allow them to cling to their hosts; once larvae find a host they molt, lose their legs, and become immobile; adult females are neotenic in form, lacking wings, legs, and eyes, and have a fused head and thorax; they do not ever leave their host (except for females of the family Mengenillidae which are wingless but are free-living and somewhat mobile with legs and small eyes); adult males develop wings, legs, eyes, and antennae, though their mouthparts cannot be used for feeding, but are instead used as sensory structures; the forewings are modified into small club-shaped structures called halteres, which sense gyroscopic information, while the hindwings are fan-shaped with strongly reduced venation; the antennae are flabellate, and are covered in specialised chemoreceptors, likely to detect females over long distances

Diet: nutrients from host insect as larvae; do not feed as adults

Metamorphosis: holometabolous males, hemimetabolous females

Habitat: endoparasites of hymenopterans, orthopterans, mantises, bugs, silverfish, flies and cockroaches; can be found worldwide (except Antarctica), though they are not well-studied

Evolved in: Possibly Permian, but the earliest Strepsipteran fossils are found in the Middle Cretaceous

(source)

Propaganda under the cut:

Excellent request!!!!

what’s with Clauneck’s relics actually