New wasp species named after famous thieves

In the realm of famous thieves and tricksters from Han Solo to Catwoman, scientists uncovered a new set of unusual suspects – tiny wasps from an understudied genus.

The wasps are not caped vigilantes or gallant galactic rogues, but minuscule marauders in the spotlight thanks to new research from Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. The experts have named 22 new species of gall wasps.

A rich tapestry of wasp thieves

Gall wasps are insects that lead a kleptomaniac-like existence. They inhabit small structures called “galls,” which they steal from other wasp species.

In recognition of their thieving ways, scientists named the newly discovered insects after infamous thieves and tricksters from history, mythology, and pop culture.

Consider the wasp known as Prometheus, borrowing its name from the titan in Greek mythology who stole fire from the gods and gave it to mankind. This wasp’s vibrant, fiery red coloring made it an ideal candidate for such a legendary name.

Significance of the study

This research is more than just a fancy naming ceremony for insects. Study lead author Louis Nastasi, a doctoral student of entomology at Penn State, emphasized the significance of the team’s work.

“By naming these species, we give other researchers an anchor they can carry forward to other studies because now they can identify wasps that were previously unknown,” Nastasi said.

“It provides a base and a tool kit for future work that could help us understand these species and their ecosystems more broadly.”

The research begins a new chapter in understanding these elusive wasps and offers valuable insights into their biology.

Focus of the research

The catalyst for the study was a tricky question raised by a separate study on the evolution of gall wasps. A team from the University of Iowa had DNA data from multiple wasps but struggled to identify the exact species.

This led to a collaboration with Nastasi, whose expertise is in species identification, description, and diagnosis.

“I ended up in conversation with Andrew Forbes, who’s the leader of the University of Iowa team, and he told me about the difficulties they were having,” Nastasi said.

“And since my area of expertise is species identification, description and diagnosis of these tiny wasps, he asked if it would be possible for me to get involved and figure out what exactly is going on.”

Identifying new wasp thieves

Nastasi combined biological and molecular information from the team’s previous study with his own anatomical and physical characteristic insect analysis. This multi-layered approach led to surprising findings.

“We found that some of the insects thought to be one single species were actually two independent species, and that using only the molecular data did not sufficiently separate them into multiple species,” Nastasi said.

“We had to combine that information with this new morphological analysis, and then by combining those types of data, it allowed us to get a clear vision of what each of these species are.”

Stories behind the thieving wasps

Once the species were accurately categorized, it was time to christen them with names. The scientists named a wasp with a penchant for thieving Ceroptres selinae after Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman from DC Comics.

The experts named a species with a traitorous streak Ceroptres bruti after Marcus Junius Brutus, the infamous betrayer of Julius Caesar.

A third wasp was named Ceroptres soloi after Hans Solo, the charming rogue and thief from the Star Wars franchise. Nastasi and his team said the naming process itself was creatively stimulating.

“A lot of effort goes into identifying these species and there’s a lot of art in choosing a good species name, so it was exciting to exemplify that and really carefully select names for these new species,” said Nastasi.

Our understanding of these tiny creatures is just beginning and there are many mysteries to uncover. In the future, researchers may take a closer look at the life cycles, biological traits, environment, and thieving strategies of gall wasps.

The study is published in the journal Zootaxa.

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