title: On the probability of dinosaur fleas.
abstract: Recently, a set of publications described flea fossils from Jurassic and Early Cretaceous geological strata in northeastern China, which were suggested to have parasitized feathered dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and early birds or mammals. In support of these fossils being fleas, a recent publication in BMC Evolutionary Biology described the extended abdomen of a female fossil specimen as due to blood feeding.We here comment on these findings, and conclude that the current interpretation of the evolutionary trajectory and ecology of these putative dinosaur fleas is based on appeal to probability, rather than evidence. Hence, their taxonomic positioning as fleas, or stem fleas, as well as their ecological classification as ectoparasites and blood feeders is not supported by currently available data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Cooke 109, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA. kd52@buffalo.edu.|Graduate Program of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, 411 Cooke Hall, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA. kd52@buffalo.edu.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dittmar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Cooke 109, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
authors.forename: Qiyun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Monte L. Bean Museum, Brigham Young University, 336 MLB, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Hastriter
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and M. L. Bean Museum, Brigham Young University, 4142 LSB, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Whiting
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002681:China; D025061:Dinosaurs / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D005580:Fossils; D011336:Probability; D005423:Siphonaptera / Q000145:classification