New Parasitic Wasp Species Discovered In Taiwan

A new species of parasitoid wasp that rides on the back of damselflies before laying eggs inside their eggs, has been discovered in Taiwan.

Asian Scientist (Jul. 29, 2013) – A previously unknown species of parasitoid wasp that rides on the back of damselflies before laying eggs inside their eggs, has been discovered in Taiwan.

The wasp, named Hydrophylita emporos, is only 1.2mm long. It is the first species of its subgenus, Hydrophylita (Lutzimicron), that has been found in Asia, and is also the first to be observed transporting itself on another organism. The genus contains just four other described species, all from South America.

The tiny wasp, described in a paper published in PLOS ONE, was identified by Yuan Tung Shih, from National Taiwan University, and Andrew Polaszek, from the National History Museum in the UK.

Yuan had spotted the minute wasps riding on the back of a damselfly while collecting insects near Taipei and sent Polaszek a video and some specimens for identification.

Eggs for dinner

Adult H. emporos females wait at the base of the damselfly’s abdomen and approaches the water only after the damselfly lays its eggs, laying their own eggs inside them. When the wasp larvae hatch they feed on the damselfly’s eggs until they are ready to pupate.

“When I examined the wasps I was amazed as they belonged to a group known previously only from South America – the species from Taiwan was clearly new to science,” said Polaszek, an expert on parasitoid wasps.

“Although the hosts of this genus were known to be damselfly eggs, the hitch-hiking behaviour – known as phoresy – had not been observed previously in the genus.”

Fittingly, the name emporos means passenger.

Rare males

Male H. emporos seem to be extremely rare, around one in every 125 wasps, and may remain underwater for most of their life.

It is not currently know how the wasps manage to avoid being swept away by water currents or, apparently, breathe for up to 24 hours underwater. Yuan and Polaszek are carrying out further studies to reveal the morphological adaptations that allow this remarkable insect to live a semi-aquatic lifestyle.

The article can be found at: Shih et al. (2013) Hydrophylita (Lutzimicron) Emporos Shih & Polaszek (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) From Taiwan, Parasitising Eggs, And Phoretic On Adults, Of The Damselfly Psolodesmus Mandarinus Mandarinus (Zygoptera: Calopterygidae).

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Source: National History Museum; Photo: Yuan Tung Shih.
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