Scott Shaw of the University of Wisconsin and his colleagues have discovered 24 new species of wasps of the genus Aleiodes in the cloud forest of Ecuador. They are small creatures – between 4 and 9 millimeters – but, as Scott has explained, "they play a very important role in the ecology of the rainforest."
The peculiarity of these insects is that they "mummify" various types of caterpillars after injecting their eggs : the young grow, and, little by little, they dry out the body of the invaded animal, whose corpse serves as a cocoon until they become specimens Adults.
It is grim, yes, but this behavior is beneficial for the ecosystem: this is how the excessive proliferation of caterpillars , which feed on jungle plants, is naturally controlled.
Researchers have named the new species after famous people such as the actress and presenter Ellen DeGeneres, the poet Robert Frost or the singer Shakira. Apparently, the latter causes the caterpillars parasitized by its larvae to shake like the Colombian star.
Photo: Eduardo Shimbori
