Unknown insect species discovered in Germany - "It almost borders on a miracle"
Created: 01/13/2023 17:19
By: Jannis Gogolin
A German entomologist found a previously undiscovered species of insect in his wild garden.
The only thing that sets the little animal apart from its outlawed colleagues is its appearance.
Mohrkirch – The sighting of a wasp is usually not a reason for jumping for joy.
In summer they can be a real nuisance, especially for allergy sufferers.
But wasps can do much more than just drown in the lemonade or lurk in the meadow as "land mines".
A special species with the archaic name tarantula falcon even hunts tarantulas.
And a smaller subspecies of the insect made a naturalist in Schleswig-Holstein very happy.
Because he discovered her.
Unknown insect species discovered in Germany - small, inconspicuous and parasitic
This year's summer weather was paradise for the yellow and black insect.
High temperatures and a dry climate offer the biting insects the best conditions for reproduction.
And a lot of offspring need a lot of food - preferably from humans - which they react to with various home remedies.
However, not all wasps fit the aggressive stereotype of the common wasp.
An entomologist in the far north of Germany has now discovered such a species.
Newly discovered parasitic wasp: naming inspired by location
"Campodorus paradiesensis" is the name of the newly discovered parasitic wasp that Lennart Bendixen identified in his own garden in Mohrkirch.
The first sighting was in May 2020, as reported by the Schleswig-Holstein Nature Conservation Foundation.
The extensive recognition process lasted two and a half years.
However, his work and keen eye was appreciated.
The species name is inspired by the street name where its wild natural garden is located.
The newly discovered parasitic wasp "Campodorus paradiesensis" (left) is visually very different from its fellow species (right) © dpa;
imago
"It's almost a miracle that this strikingly colored species wasn't discovered much earlier," says the entomologist, also known as an entomologist.
According to the foundation, he suspects that there was simply no attentive expert in the right place at the right time who could forestall him.
Lucky for him that he can take credit for the discovery.
No sting hazard: Insect species harmless and sometimes helpful for humans
Bendixen caught the eye of the animal because of its special colour.
Instead of the yellow-red pattern typical of parasitic wasps, this is yellow-orange and unusually bright. The females do have what are known as ovipositors.
However, it is only used to place the eggs, they cannot sting with it.
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Ichneumon wasps are a species of their own and stand out from the common wasp.
As the foundation reports, they are an important antagonist to caterpillars, beetles and other herbivorous six-legged creatures.
In some cases, humans even use the parasitic wasp's appetite for insects as a biological means of pest control.
