New Wasp Species Discovered After 40 Years in Museum Drawer
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A wasp collected in Chile over 40 years ago and stored in an unsorted drawer at the Natural History Museum in London has been identified as a new-to-science species and genus. Researchers named the species Attenboroughnculus tau, honoring nature broadcaster David Attenborough. The tiny parasitoid wasp belongs to the ichneumonid family, which lay eggs inside other arthropods.
Facts First
- A wasp collected in Chile in the early 1980s sat unsorted in a museum drawer for over four decades.
- Researchers confirmed it as a new species and genus, naming it Attenboroughnculus tau after David Attenborough.
- The wasp is 3.5 millimeters long and belongs to the ichneumonid, or Darwin wasp, family.
- Ichneumonid wasps are parasitoids that lay eggs inside other arthropods, killing the host.
- The discovery was made by researchers including study lead author Augustijn De Ketelaere and co-author Gavin Broad, principal curator of wasps at the museum.
What Happened
A tiny wasp, collected in Chile's Valdivia province in the early 1980s, was stored in an unsorted drawer at the Natural History Museum in London for more than 40 years. Researchers have now examined the specimen and confirmed it represents both a new species and a new genus. The wasp is 3.5 millimeters (0.14 inches) long and belongs to the ichneumonid family, also known as Darwin wasps, which are parasitoids that lay eggs inside the larvae, pupae, or eggs of other arthropods, killing the host during development. The new species has been named Attenboroughnculus tau, with the genus name honoring nature broadcaster David Attenborough. The research was led by study lead author Augustijn De Ketelaere, with co-author Gavin Broad, the principal curator of wasps at the Natural History Museum.
Why this Matters to You
This discovery highlights that significant scientific finds can be waiting, unidentified, in museum collections around the world. It underscores the ongoing importance of taxonomic research and museum curation in documenting planetary biodiversity. The naming of the genus after David Attenborough connects a public figure celebrated for nature communication to the detailed, often overlooked work of species discovery.
What's Next
The formal description and classification of Attenboroughnculus tau adds to the scientific record and may prompt further study into the ecology and distribution of parasitoid wasps in South America. Researchers might now re-examine other unsorted specimens in museum collections, which could lead to more discoveries of unknown species.