Diversity Among Parasitic Wasps Is Even Greater Than Suspected

A tiny wasp that lays its eggs under the skin of unwitting caterpillars belongs to one of the most diverse groups of insects on Earth. Now researchers report that its diversity is even higher than previously thought.

By combining ecological and genetic data with the painstaking detective work of taxonomy, the researchers have dramatically increased – nearly doubling – the estimated number of species reported of six very species-rich genera of parasitoid wasps.

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Tagged as: Caterpillars, Creepy Crawlies, Ecology, Flying Insects, Genetics, Parasites, Parasitoid Wasps, Species, Taxonomy, Wasps

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