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Pseudopulex is a genus of extinct, flea-like, parasitic insects that once fed on dinosaurs or pterosaurs.
The two species, Pseudopulex jurassicus and Pseudopulex magnus, are similar to modern fleas, but their bodies were more compressed, and they had longer claws which they used to hold on tightly to dinosaurs or pterosaurs. They were also 10 times as large as modern fleas and possessed serrated stylets, likely for feeding on blood through thick layers of skin.
Video Pseudopulex
Discovery
Fossils of Pseudopulex jurassicus are known from the middle Jurassic-aged Jiulongshan Formation, 165 million years old. Fossils of Pseudopulex magnus are from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation, 125 million years old.
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References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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