This Ancient Wasp Had a Freaky Belly That Snapped Shut to Trap Victims

The ancient world was even freakier than we knew. Research out this week details a parasitic wasp preserved in amber for nearly 100 million years that had a Venus flytrap-like belly it might have used to ensnare victims. Scientists in China and Denmark detailed their discovery in a study published late Wednesday in the journal BMC Biology. They’ve named the wasp Sirenobethylus charybdis—a reference to the famous female sea monster of ancient Greek legend. The bug and its unique appearance likely represents a previously unknown lineage of insects, the researchers say. As is often the case in Greek mythology, there are varying origin stories for Charybdis. But the most widely known version is in the Odyssey, where she’s depicted as a sea monster capable of creating massive whirlpools that threatened to impede the hero Odysseus’ journey home (travelers were forced to navigate between her and Scylla—another fearsome monster). S. charybdis might have been a lot smaller than its eponym, b ... Read full article.