A new study in BMC Biology has revealed the discovery of a 99-million-year-old parasitic wasp preserved in amber from northern Myanmar’s Kachin region. The wasp, named Sirenobethylus charybdis, lived during the time of the dinosaurs and had a unique way of hunting. Female wasps had flap-like parts on their abdomen lined with bristles, which looked like tiny Venus flytraps. These structures worked like modern bear traps—not to crush prey, but to hold it in place.

Scientists from the Natural History Museum of Denmark, Capital Normal University, and the Beijing Xiachong Amber Museum led the research. They believe the wasp used these flaps to tightly hold onto another insect while laying an egg. After hatching, the wasp larva would eat the host insect from the inside—a common behavior among parasitic wasps. The shape and structure of this ancient wasp show a new kind of evolutionary development not seen before in fossils. While today’s cuckoo wasps and bethylid wasps have similar methods, none are known to have such complex abdominal features. Entomologists found the discovery highly unusual and important for understanding the wide variety of insect evolution. Studying extinct species like Sirenobethylus charybdis helps scientists learn more about how ancient insects lived and interacted with their environments.