Scientists discover new wasp species in Western Ghats

New Delhi: A new species of wasp, which is just 6 mm in size, has been discovered in the forests of the Wester Ghats.

The new species was identified by a team of scientists consisting of P Girish Kumar and PM Sureshan, of the at the Western Ghat Regional Centre of the Zoological Survey of India, and James M Carpenter of the American Museum of Natural History, New York.

Muhamed Jafer Palot of Western Ghats Regional Centre (WGRC) of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kozhikode, said belongs to Eumeninae, the sub-family of Vespidae.

The new species was sighted at multiple places including the Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary, Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, Nilambur forests in Malappuram and near Muthappanpuzha in Kozhikode.

The species of wasp, which is black in colour with yellow and brown marks, is harmless and makes mud nests.

With the new discovery, the number of wasps belonging to the Parancistrocerus species has been increased to three in Kerala and 11 in India.

The details of the new discovery has been published in journal Halteres.