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A myriad of species and genres new to science, including economically important wasps that immediately attract attention due to their amusing names and remarkable physical characters, complete the research taxonomy and conservation. 64th issue of Journal of Hymenoptera Research ( JHR ).
Two genera (Qrocodiledundee and Tobleronius) named after the comedy-action Crocodile Dundee and the Toblerone chocolate brand are just a few of the 14 new genera of the microgastrine wasp monograph of the tropics of the world, written by Dr. Jose Fernandez-Triana and Caroline Boudreault of the Canadian National Collection of Insects in Ottawa. In their article, the team also describes a total of 29 new species, five of which bear the name of institutions holding some of the most notable wasp collections.
Another species of microgastrine wasp curiously described in the new issue of JHR, is called Eadya Daenerys in reference to Daenerys Targaryen, a fictional character known from the best-selling book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin, and the hit TV show Game of Thrones. Discovered by Ryan Ridenbaugh of the University of Central Florida, Erin Barbeau and Barbara Sharanowski following a collaboration between biocontrol researchers and taxonomists, the new species might not control three dragons, nor a leader or protector of nations whole. However, by being a potential biological control agent against a particular group of beetle pests, it could save the lives of many eucalyptus plantations around the world.
In addition, a wasp named Dolichogenidea xenomorph that parasitizes other pests of eucalyptus, also bears the name of a character of a sought after franchise. The writers of the Alien horror science fiction series think they have thought of parasitic wasps when they invented the Xenomorph character, recall authors Erinn Fagan-Jeffries, Dr. Steven Cooper and Andrew Austin. In addition, the team from the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Museum points out that the name of the species translates to "strange form" in Greek, which is perfectly suited to the Ovipositor remarkably long of the new wasp.
Jean-Luc Boevé, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Diego Domínguez, Technical University of Loja, Ecuador, and David Smith, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, United States, publish an illustrated list of the wasps of related sawflies, which they collected in northern Ecuador a few years ago. In conclusion, the fifth document, written by Serbian scientists, the Milana Mitrovic Institute for Plant Protection and the Environment, and Professor Zeljko Tomanovic, of the University of Belgrade, is studying ways to to extract the DNA of dry parasitoid wasps from the natural history archives decades after their preservation. In their work, they clearly indicate that such projects are of great importance for taxonomic research and future conservation, as well as agriculture.
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New wasps named Crocodile Dundee and Toblerone among 17 new genera and 29 species
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