16 Weird-Looking Parasitoid Wasps in Vietnam: Recent Discovery Can Decipher Unknown Parasitic Behaviors

Parasitoid wasps are tiny in appearance. Researchers explained that little is known about them. The recent discovery of 16 species of parasitoid wasps in Vietnam can help understand their unique parasitic behavior.

At first glance, people will not easily recognize parasitoid wasps. Their species are unique because they require other insects to lay eggs.

Increasing the knowledge about the parasitic behavior of wasps can help protect them from possible population decline. Parasitoid wasps are vital to mitigate the devastating effects of pests and other invasive species.

16 Weird-Looking Parasitoid Wasps in Vietnam

(Photo : by FRED TANNEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
A parasite wasp that eat larvas. Researchers unearthed 16 weird-looking species of parasitoid wasps in Vietnam. The discovery can help decipher the parasitic behavior of wasps, increasing the knowledge about their species.

Unlike other tiny insects, the species of parasitoid wasps are challenging to catch. They can evade possible predators. They go unnoticed with their weird-looking appearance.

Experts from Vietnam's National Museum of Nature and Kyushu University teamed up to unearth new species of Loboscelidia. Their efforts paid off after discovering 16 new species, contributing to the need for more information about the Loboscelidia.

The researchers conducted the study in at least six sites in Vietnam, where they observed 70 from the Loboscelidia. The wasps live in a small area.

Some of the wasps have noticeable hairs on their bodies. The discovery contributed to the 67 known species to science.

Moreover, the research report was published in the European Journal of Taxonomy. In Vietnam, there are about 24 species of Loboscelidia. They found that the wasps have nesting behavior.

The parasitoid waps will not bite, unlike other insects. They like to roam around the flowers or plants in forests or gardens. Wasps can feed on the flower's pollen.

Wasp unusual behavior

According to recent reports, researchers found the unusual parasitic behavior of the female parasitoid wasps, known as Loboscelidia squamosa. The species of Loboscelidia can reach up to 5 mm in terms of body length.

As mentioned, the wasps play a significant role in the ecosystems by controlling the emergence of invasive species. Reports noted the benefits of parasitic wasps on the garden to ensure the growth of plants and flowers, which likely acts as biocontrol.

The said wasps can possibly lay eggs on other parasitized insects, helping to complete their vital lifecycle. Assistant Professor Toshiharu Mita explained that the host could likely die.

Mita is the lead researcher from the Kyushu University's Faculty of Agriculture. Other researchers contributed to the study are:

• Dr. Yu Hisasue
• Dr. Thai-Hong Pham from the National Museum of Nature, Vietnam

Furthermore, the researchers discovered that female wasps that attacked an egg. The wasp used it to lay her own egg.

To protect the eggs from predators, the female wasp was observed digging a hole under the soil.

In Minnesota, the parasitoid wasps are seen with ecological importance, helping to control the emergence of the emerald ash border. The said invasive species can harm the forest trees in the city.

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