Fossil Behavior Compendium

The Geological Record of Parasitic Nematode Evolution

“…This could lead to dual fungal and insect parasitism as seen in the Dominican amber Paleoiotonchium dominicanum that probably had a life cycle alternating between mushrooms and fungus gnats. While there is no evidence of fungal fruiting bodies in the amber piece with Paleoiotonchium, mushrooms and other fungi occur in Dominican amber (Poinar and Poinar, 1999;Boucot and Poinar, 2010). The fossil representatives of Howardula, Palaeoallantonema, Palaeoparasitylenchus and Tripius show that the typical allantonematidesphaerularid life cycle involving only insect hosts existed by the beginning of the Cenozoic.…”

Fossil Crustaceans as Parasites and Hosts

“…Furthermore, Wilson et al (2014bWilson et al ( , p. 1214) referred preserved embedment pits without evidence of boring to an ichnotaxon (Oichnus). Similarly, Radwa nska and Radwa nski (2005) and Boucot and Poinar (2010) called copepod-induced swellings trace fossils. Klompmaker et al (2014) treated K. crusta as an embedment structure or bioclaustration following Bertling et al (2006, p. 267): 'embedment structures in calcareous skeletons that are produced by an actively growing organism around disturbing or irritating objects or living organisms' because the cuticle of the host continues to grow around the isopod.…”

Ancient death-grip leaf scars reveal ant–fungal parasitism

“…Generally, amber dominates the fossil record of pathogenic fungi on insect hosts [16]. The oldest occurrence consists of two conspicuous stalks of the ascomycete Paleoophiocordyceps coccophagus projecting from the head of a male scale insect in Early Cretaceous Burmese amber [17] at about 105 Ma.…”