Paleoparasitology

The primary sources of paleoparasitological material include mummified tissues,[6][5][7] coprolites (fossilised dung) from mammals[8] or dinosaurs,[9] fossils,[10] and amber inclusions.

The ancient flea Saurophthirus found in Early Cretaceous deposits had a sucking proboscis and a stretching abdomen, which indicates the parasitic lifestyle of this insect.

[47] The dramatic tissue aberrations seen in present-day plant galls and gall-like structures in some invertebrates are direct physiological reactions to the presence of either metazoan parasites or microbial pathogens.

Host-parasite interactions today are often exploited by other species, and similar examples have been found in the fossil record of plant galls and leaf mines.

[50] Studies of parasite remains and traces from the past have yielded a vast catalog of ancient host-parasite associations.

[55][56] Data obtained by all of these methods are constantly improving our understanding of the origin and evolution of the parasites themselves[57] and their vectors,[58] and of the host-parasite and vector-parasite associations.

[59][60][61][62][63] In some cases, presumed host-parasite relationships of the past seem quite different from those known in the present, such as a fly which appears to be a parasite of a mite[64] Paleoparasitological studies have also provided insight into questions outside the realm of parasitology.