Earliest-Known

Female mosquitoes are among the most notorious hematophagous (blood-feeding) insects, sometimes causing severe allergic responses. Hematophagy in insects is likely a feeding shift from plant fluids, with the piercing-sucking mouthparts serving as suitable exaptation for piercing vertebrates’ skin. The origins of these habits are mired in an often-poor fossil record for many hematophagous lineages, particularly