A Burmese amber tick wrapped in spider silk. (October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dunlop, Jason A.; Selden, Paul A.; Pfeffer, Timo; Chitimia-Dobler, Lidia
• Is Part Of: Cretaceous research. Volume 90(2018)
• Page Start: 136
• Page End: 141
• Publication Date: 2018-10
• Subjects: Arachnida -- Ixodida -- Araneae -- Fossil -- Amber -- Myanmar; Geology, Stratigraphic -- Cretaceous -- Periodicals; 551.77
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2018.04.013
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0195-6671

Abstract

Abstract: A unique inclusion from Cretaceous (ca. 100 Ma) Burmese amber from Myanmar is described comprising a fossil hard tick (Parasitiformes: Ixodida: Ixodidae) wrapped in spider silk. Fossil ticks are very rare. Those from Burmese amber are the oldest examples of Ixodida recorded so far, and this is also the first time that this specific interaction between ticks and spiders has been documented in the fossil record. Spiders occasionally prey on ticks in modern ecosystems. However, those families which have been recorded catching ticks today lack a convincing Mesozoic fossil record and it is difficult to identify the producer of the fossil silk with any certainty. It is also possible that the tick was not part of the spider's usual prey spectrum, but accidentally entered the web and was subjected to immobilization wrapping as an initial precautionary attack. Graphical abstract: A unique example of a fossil tick preserved wrapped in a spider web from the Cretaceous Burmese amber of Myanmar. It is the oldest and only example of a tick caught by a spider in the fossil record. Highlights: The oldest (and only) example of a tick wrapped in spider silk is reported from the ca. 100 Ma Burmese amber of Myanmar. This is a unique piece of fossilized behavior and indicates that ticks were captured by spiders back as the Cretaceous. Several spider families occasionally eat ticks in modern ecosystems, but it is hard to say which spider was responsible here. This may be an example of 'imobilization wrapping': the tick was not eaten, but was wrapped up as a precaution.