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Symbiosis between Cretaceous dinosaurs and feather-feeding beetles.

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Title: Symbiosis between Cretaceous dinosaurs and feather-feeding beetles.
Authors: Peñalver, Enrique1 e.penalver@igme.es, Peris, David2,3,4, Álvarez-Parra, Sergio2,3, Grimaldi, David A.5, Arillo, Antonio6, Luis Chiappe7, Delclòs, Xavier2,3, Alcalá, Luis8, Sanz, José Luis9,10, Solórzano-Kraemer, Mónica M.11, Pérez-de la Fuente, Ricardo12
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 4/25/2023, Vol. 120 Issue 17, p1-10. 19p.
Subjects: Beetles, Symbiosis, Bird nests, Dinosaurs, Fossils
Abstract: Extant terrestrial vertebrates, including birds, have a panoply of symbiotic relationships with many insects and arachnids, such as parasitism or mutualism. Yet, identifying arthropod-vertebrate symbioses in the fossil record has been based largely on indirect evidence; findings of direct association between arthropod guests and dinosaur host remains are exceedingly scarce. Here, we present direct and indirect evidence demonstrating that beetle larvae fed on feathers from an undetermined theropod host (avian or nonavian) 105 million y ago. An exceptional amber assemblage is reported of larval molts (exuviae) intimately associated with plumulaceous feather and other remains, as well as three additional amber pieces preserving isolated conspecific exuviae. Samples were found in the roughly coeval Spanish amber deposits of El Soplao, San Just, and Peñacerrada I. Integration of the morphological, systematic, and taphonomic data shows that the beetle larval exuviae, belonging to three developmental stages, are most consistent with skin/hide beetles (family Dermestidae), an ecologically important group with extant keratophagous species that commonly inhabit bird and mammal nests. These findings show that a symbiotic relationship involving keratophagy comparable to that of beetles and birds in current ecosystems existed between their Early Cretaceous relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Engineering Source
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Abstract:Extant terrestrial vertebrates, including birds, have a panoply of symbiotic relationships with many insects and arachnids, such as parasitism or mutualism. Yet, identifying arthropod-vertebrate symbioses in the fossil record has been based largely on indirect evidence; findings of direct association between arthropod guests and dinosaur host remains are exceedingly scarce. Here, we present direct and indirect evidence demonstrating that beetle larvae fed on feathers from an undetermined theropod host (avian or nonavian) 105 million y ago. An exceptional amber assemblage is reported of larval molts (exuviae) intimately associated with plumulaceous feather and other remains, as well as three additional amber pieces preserving isolated conspecific exuviae. Samples were found in the roughly coeval Spanish amber deposits of El Soplao, San Just, and Peñacerrada I. Integration of the morphological, systematic, and taphonomic data shows that the beetle larval exuviae, belonging to three developmental stages, are most consistent with skin/hide beetles (family Dermestidae), an ecologically important group with extant keratophagous species that commonly inhabit bird and mammal nests. These findings show that a symbiotic relationship involving keratophagy comparable to that of beetles and birds in current ecosystems existed between their Early Cretaceous relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:00278424
DOI:10.1073/pnas.2217872120