A research team of the Shadpada Entomology Research Lab, Christ College, Irinjalakuda, has discovered a new species of cuckoo wasp from southern India.
Doctoral scholar Aswathi P.G., research supervisor and Assistant Professor of Department of Zoology Bijoy C., Italian entomologist Paolo Rosa, and Polish entomologist Bogdan Wisniowski were behind this discovery. The new species of cuckoo wasp has been named Trichrysis poseidonia.
T. poseidonia specimens were collected from Tamil Nadu and Madayipara in Kannur. Another specimen was obtained from Nepal. The specific name is derived from Poseidon, the Greek God of the Sea, for the three sharp and pointed apical abdominal teeth seen in this species, recalling the Poseidon’s trident.
These wasps belong to the family Chrysididae. They are also known as cuckoo wasps, because they are kleptoparasitic (stealing food from others) on other wasps and bees as the cuckoo bird. The members of the family Chrysididae are more active in warm areas and they are heliophilic (more active in sunlight). The laterite plateau of Madayipara is well known for its rich biodiversity and is suitable for these wasps.
The research was conducted with financial assistance from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. Detailed description of new species has been published in the international research journal European Journal of Taxonomy.
