Sceliomorpha

This week features a parasitoid that is also host. The wasp belongs to the genus Sceliomorpha, a creature that has many ancestral, or plesiomorphic, characters that lead systematists to believe it is part of an ancient lineage. At over 5 millimeters long it is a giant in the realm of Platygastroidea, and large enough to become a host for another kind of parasite- mites. This specimen was captured with nearly 10 mites feeding on it internal bodily fluids via mouthparts that penetrate the wasp's exoskeleton.

Like this specimen of Sceliomorpha, you too have mites feeding on you. Numerous species live in your skin- around your eyelashes, on your forehead, on the skin of your back. When next you look in the mirror, perhaps try to view yourself as an ecosystem...

This image was produced from images taken by Smithsonian intern Samantha Fitzsimmons-Schoenberger. The full resolution image may be found here: http://specimage.osu.edu/getImageInfo.html?image_id=93319