Current Affairs: Passage of the Day - 4 April 2024 | Current Affairs & General Knowledge - CLAT PDF Download

Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Mosquitoes are approximately 3,600 species of small flies comprising the family Culicidae. All living — and likely fossil — female mosquitoes are hematophagous and nectarivorous, whereas living species of their sister group, Chaoboridae (phantom midges or glassworms), are nectar feeding.
Thus, a shift from strict nectarivory to partial hematophagy has occurred, but scientists still don’t know whether the earliest mosquitoes were hematophagous or not.
The discovery of two male mosquitoes with piercing mouthparts, preserved in amber from Lebanon, extends the definitive occurrence of the Culicidae family into the Early Cretaceous.
The new specimens represent a new species of mosquitoes, Libanoculex intermedius.
They also represent a new, now-extinct mosquito subfamily, Libanoculicinae.
“Lebanese amber is, to date, the oldest amber with intensive biological inclusions, and it is a very important material as its formation is contemporaneous with the appearance and beginning of radiation of flowering plants, with all what follows of co-evolution between pollinators and flowering plants,” said Dr. Dany Azar, a paleontologist with the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Lebanese University.
“Molecular dating suggested that the family Culicidae arose during the Jurassic, but previously the oldest record was mid-Cretaceous,” added Dr. André Nel, a paleontologist with the National Museum of Natural History of Paris.
“Here, we have one from the Early Cretaceous, about 30 million years before.”
The new findings suggest that male mosquitoes in the past fed on blood as well.
They also help to narrow the ‘ghost-lineage gap’ for mosquitoes.
“Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the new fossil represents a lineage of mosquitoes that diverged earlier than the subfamily Burmaculicinae, narrowing the ghost-lineage gap for mosquitoes and providing glimpses into Mesozoic culicid paleodiversity,” the authors said.
“This discovery also suggests that not only were the earliest female mosquitoes hematophagous but males were also in some cases.”
“In future work, we want to learn more about the utility of having hematophagy in Cretaceous male mosquitoes,” Dr. Nel said.
“They’re also curious to explore why this no longer exists.”
[Excerpt from https://www.sci.news/ “Earliest-Known Fossil Mosquito Found in Lebanese Amber” Dated 7/12/23]
Q1: What is the name of the newly discovered mosquito species?
(a) Culicidae Cretacea
(b) Libanoculex intermedius
(c) Mesozoic Mosquito
(d) Burmaculicinae

  View Answer

Q2: Where were the new mosquito specimens found?
(a) Burmese amber
(b) Lebanese amber
(c) Baltic amber
(d) Dominican amber

  View Answer

Q3: What era does the Lebanese amber, containing the mosquitoes, date back to?
(a) Late Jurassic
(b) Early Cretaceous
(c) Middle Triassic
(d) Early Jurassic

  View Answer

Q4: What is unique about the males of Libanoculex intermedius?
(a) They have no wings
(b) They exhibit piercing mouthparts with sharp mandibles
(c) They are larger than females
(d) They have colorful patterns

  View Answer

Q5: What does the presence of sharp mandibles in male Libanoculex intermedius suggest?
(a) They were herbivorous
(b) They were likely hematophagous
(c) They fed on nectar
(d) They were not active feeders

  View Answer

Q6: Which subfamily does Libanoculex intermedius belong to?
(a) Culicidae
(b) Libanoculicinae
(c) Anophelinae
(d) Aedinae

  View Answer

Q7: What is the significance of the discovery of Libanoculex intermedius in terms of mosquito fossil record?
(a) It confirms the presence of mosquitoes in the Late Cretaceous
(b) It extends the presence of Culicidae in the fossil record to the Early Cretaceous
(c) It is the first mosquito fossil ever found
(d) It disproves the existence of ancient mosquitoes

  View Answer

Q8: What do researchers aim to explore in future studies about Cretaceous male mosquitoes?
(a) Their extinction causes
(b) Their flight patterns
(c) The utility of hematophagy
(d) Their breeding habits

  View Answer