守穴黃蜂，有一種可怕的生存技術(shù)

令人毛骨悚然的守穴黃蜂，有一種可怕的生存技術(shù)

The crypt-keeper wasp is hardly a fussy eater. Given the chance, this creepy parasitic insect will chew through the heads of at least seven different species to survive, a new study has found.

守穴黃蜂可不是個挑剔的食客。一項新的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，如果有機會，這種令人毛骨悚然的寄生昆蟲，將咬碎至少七種不同物種的頭部來維持生存。

Discovered just a few years ago, this gruesome predator (Euderus set) is known as a 'hyper-manipulator' - a parasite that manipulates a parasite that manipulates a host.

就在幾年前，這種可怕的食肉動物(Euderus set) 被稱為“超級操縱者”——一種操縱宿主的寄生蟲。

Mona Luo

From what little we know so far, the crypt-keeper's prime prey appears to be the parasitic gall wasp - known for tricking its plant host into covering its eggs with a gall, or a swelling of nutrients.

根據(jù)我們目前所知的有限信息，這種守穴黃蜂主要寄生于癭蜂——癭蜂將卵產(chǎn)在植物中，從而引發(fā)后者異常生長，形成癭而聞名。

These are the so-called 'crypts' in which the crypt-keeper also deposits its eggs. And in doing so, the larvae of the crypt-keeper can thus infect the larvae of the original occupant.

這些就是所謂的“地穴”，守穴黃蜂也會在其中產(chǎn)卵。這樣一來，守穴黃蜂的幼蟲就可以感染癭蜂的幼蟲。

The next step is simple: manipulate the gall wasp so that when it's done developing, it chews a much smaller hole in its nest than necessary. As it tries to scramble out, the wasp's head will then hopefully become stuck, killing the creature in the plugged hole.

下一步很簡單：操縱癭蜂，等它發(fā)育完成時，守穴黃蜂會在巢中咬一個比需要的小得多的洞。當(dāng)癭蜂試圖爬出來的時候，頭很可能會卡住，守穴黃蜂就能在堵塞的洞里殺死它。

Only then can the crypt-keeper eat its way out, right through the other parasite.

這樣，守穴黃蜂就能吃掉其他寄生蟲。

Parasites that manipulate other parasites are an extremely rare phenomenon that is rarely studied. There's a lot we have yet to learn about them... but how badly do we want to know?

操縱其他寄生蟲的寄生蟲是一種極其罕見的現(xiàn)象，很少有人研究。關(guān)于他們，我們還有很多需要了解的……但是我們有多想知道呢?

The research was published in Biology Letters.

這項研究發(fā)表在《生物學(xué)快報》上。