A team of scientists has made public the discovery of a new species of wasp. The insect reproduces in a way that is reminiscent of horror films.
Munich – A previously unknown species of wasp has been discovered by scientists in the United States. It is characterized by a particularly cruel method of reproduction. The birth of a rare animal was similarly spectacular – of which there is only one in ten million.
New wasp species discovered in the USA – reproduction takes place inside fruit flies
The renowned trade journal Science reported on the discovery of this new insect species, which was classified as a parasitic wasp. The reproductive strategy of these wasps is particularly brutal: the females lay their eggs in or on various members of their species, which is fatal for them. After hatching, the young wasps consume their hosts.
The US research team that discovered this parasitic wasp species recently published a new study about this find on the portal nature.comYoung fruit flies (Drosophila) are therefore the preferred victims of the wasps for laying eggs. The newly discovered wasp species was named Syntretus perlmani by the US scientists, after the renowned parasite researcher Steve Perlman.
Research team discovers the “horror wasp” by lucky coincidence – insect parasitizes flies
The discovery of the “horror wasp” is a sensation for the research team. “Despite a long history of research and a remarkable diversity of species, no wasp species has yet been described that infects the adult stage of a fly host and develops within it,” say the scientists from the USA in their study.
The researchers owe their sensational discovery to a happy coincidence. In their study, they report that they were originally looking for nematode infections in flies that they had caught in traps in backyards in Mississippi. To their own surprise, they found an adult male fly with a wasp larva inside its body. Further investigations showed that each year between 0.5 and three percent of the male flies caught in the traps were parasitized by wasps.
Video documents brutal method of reproduction in the body of fruit fly
To confirm their findings, the research team bred some of the wasp larvae. They found that they actually parasitize adult flies. Entomologist Matt Ballinger, who works at Mississippi State University and was involved in the study, published some videos on XThese show how the newly discovered wasps parasitize fruit flies.
Also A sensational animal discovery was recently made at a tourist lake in South Tyrol. An eyewitness described details. (kh)
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