A team of entomologists from Italy and China has described nine new species of wasps in the genus Cleptes.
Cleptes helanshanus. Image credit: Zai-fu Xu.
This genus belongs to the family Chrysididae, members of which are known as the jewel wasps, gold wasps, or emerald wasps. These wasps have some peculiar parasitoid nesting habits. They have brilliantly colored metallic-like bodies.
Just like the cuckoo, these wasps sneak in and lay their eggs in host nests. When hatched the larvae consume the host egg or larva, while they are still young, and after eliminating competition they move onto consuming the provisions.
Cleptes helanshanus. Image credit: Zai-fu Xu.
Another interesting survival mechanism of the cuckoo wasps is their ability to curl into a protective ball when in danger, a process known as conglobation. In nature this mechanism is also seen in pill bugs and armadillos.
“Relatively thoroughly studied in Europe and North America, there are only a few and non-systematic studies for Asia,” said Dr Zai-fu Xu of the South China Agricultural University.
Cleptes tibetensis. Image credit: Zai-fu Xu.
“In China, the fauna of Cleptes is still very poorly known,” added Dr Zai-fu Xu, who is the senior author of the paper published in the journal ZooKeys.
“This study is the first revision of the genus there, recognizing seventeen species, nine of which are new to science, and marking the road for future studies.”
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Wei N-s et al. 2013. Revision of the Chinese Cleptes (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae) with description of new species. ZooKeys 362: 55–96; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.362.6175
