27 August 2023 , 07:17
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If you’re not a fan of insects, you might want to look away now.
Researchers have discovered a terrifying new species of wasp, whose stinger they describe as being ‘like a fierce weapon.’ The team, from the University of Turku in Finland, found the species living in the Amazon rainforest.
Professor Ilari Sääksjärvi, who worked on the study, said: “The stinger of the new parasitoid wasp called Clistopyga crassicaudata is not only long but also very wide, in comparison with the size of the species. I have studied tropical parasitoid wasps for a long time but I have never seen anything like it. The stinger looks like a fierce weapon.”
All female wasps have a stinger, which is used to either inject venom or lay eggs. Professor Sääksjärvi explained: “The egg is placed either on or inside the host, and, as it also works as a stinger, the female wasp can inject venom into host in order to paralyse it.”
The new wasp species specialises in laying its eggs into spiders, or spider egg-sacs. The wasps seek out spiders living in nests and paralyse them with a quick venom injection. Then the female wasp lays its eggs on the spider and the hatching larva eats the paralysed spider as well as the possible spider eggs or hatchlings.
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