''Metoecus paradoxus'', also known as the wasp nest beetle and eyelash bug, is a species of ''

Metoecus ''Metoecus'' is a genus of wedge-shaped beetles in the family Ripiphoridae. There are at least five described species in ''Metoecus''. Species These five species belong to the genus ''Metoecus'': *''Metoecus javanus'' (Pic, 1913) *''Metoecus mor ...

'' in the family

Ripiphoridae Ripiphoridae (formerly spelled Rhipiphoridae) is a cosmopolitan family of some 450 described species of beetles sometimes called "wedge-shaped beetles". Ripiphoridae are unusual among beetle families in that many species are hypermetamorphic p ...

Description

''M. paradoxus'' measures approximately 10 mm in length. It has a dark head and body and paler, orange-coloured pointed

elytra An elytron (; ; : elytra, ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometime ...

that do not completely cover the abdomen. It has feathery antennae.

Biology and lifecycle

''M. paradoxus'' is primarily a

parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

of ''

Vespula vulgaris ''Vespula vulgaris'', known as the common wasp, is a species found in regions that include the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, India, China, New Zealand and Australia. It is sometimes known in English as the European wasp, but the same name i ...

'' (the common wasp). Adult females lay eggs in decaying wood in autumn, which hatch in spring or summer. The first

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'' 'form, likeness') is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, which occurs between each moult (''ecdysis'') until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to ...

triungulin A planidium is a specialized form of insect larva seen in the first-instar of a few families of insects that have parasitoidal ways of life. They are usually flattened, highly Sclerotization, sclerotized (hardened), and quite mobile. The functi ...

clings to a ''V. vulgaris'' worker to be transported to the nest. Once at the nest, the larva parasitises a wasp larva – once the larva has closed the cell, the ''M. paradoxus'' larva consumes the host and pupates in its place. Adults emerge from late July to early October. The development from larva to adult takes less than one month. Adult beetles live for between 6 and 12 days and probably do not feed.

Chemical mechanisms

Parasites employ various mechanisms, including chemical mimicry and chemical camouflage, to mimic the host colony's odor. When the ''M. paradoxus'' beetle penetrates the ''V. vulgaris'' host, it is vital that it avoids being detected. The same goes for all parasitic social insect species. These beetles seem to avoid being detected by mimicking the cuticular hydrocarbon profile of their host, the common wasp. A study found that ''M. paradoxus'' shares around 91.1% of compounds with ''V. vulgaris''.

Pop culture

In 2020, American rapper

Megan Thee Stallion Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Megan initially gained recognition when videos of her freestyling began to circulate widely on social me ...

created an

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

post featuring a video where Megan's friend asks what a bug on their wall is, and Megan responds with, "Bitch an eyelash bug," and the two laugh. Megan then says the bug's eyelashes are "on fleek" and says that " tjust got tseyelashes done at the club." The bug then begins to fly, Megan and her friend scream, and the video stops. A second recording shows comments of people reacting to it and identifying it as ''M. paradoxus'' as Megan's friend shows her images of it, to which Megan replies, "Bitch, that is her. Look at them damn lashes! That is crazy." However, the bug in the video appears to be a male '' Pterotus obscuripennis'', of the

firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

family. The first video has since gone

viral The word ''Viral'' means "relating to viruses" (small infectious agents). It may also refer to: Viral behavior, or virality Memetic behavior likened that of a virus, for example: * Viral marketing, the use of existing social networks to spre ...

and has become an

internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...

References

Ripiphoridae Beetles described in 1761 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Tenebrionoidea-stub