Strashilidae
| Strashilidae Temporal range:
Upper Jurassic | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Suborder: | |
| Family: | †Strashilidae Rasnitsyn , 1992 |
| Genera | |
Strashilidae is an extinct family of
ectoparasites of pterosaurs,[1] mostly due to their enlarged hind legs, which were theorised as useful for grasping hair and feathers;[3] however, additional fossils showed that both sexes had deciduous wings, and that only males had enlarged hind legs, used to grasp the females during mating, and were not parasitic, instead having an aquatic or amphibious life history, as evidenced by the adults retaining of gills, with ephemeral adults that died soon after mating,[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b Peter Vršanský; Dong Ren & Chungkun Shih (2010). "Nakridletia ord.n. – enigmatic insect parasites support sociality and endothermy of pterosaurs". AMBA Projekty. 8 (1): 1–16.
- ^ S2CID 2418781.
- ^ Bressen, David (March 1, 2012). "What Bugged the Dinosaurs?". History of Geology (blog). Scientific American. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
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