Social media images lead to first recording of parasitoid wasp species in Japan
Photos of a striking, iridescent wasp posted on social media by wasp enthusiasts in Japan have led to an unexpected discovery: The images are the first record of the species in Japan. The footage also helped scientists describe a male of the species for the first time. The images and a video of the wasps […]
A striking, iridescent wasp captured in photos by Japanese enthusiasts has sparked a significant discovery in the field of entomology. The images, shared on social media, marked the first recorded sighting of the species in Japan, previously only known from China. The footage, posted by citizen scientists on Twitter in 2018 and 2021, also provided a rare glimpse of a male of the species, a first-time description for the Eupelmus curvator.
The wasp, a parasitoid, lays its eggs within the egg cases of mantises. Upon noticing the footage, wasp expert Taisuke Kawano from Kyushu University Museum in Japan reached out to the enthusiasts, who subsequently sent him samples of the wasp. This collaboration resulted in a study published in June detailing the team's findings.
Kawano and his colleagues identified the wasp as E. curvator, a species that primarily targets the narrow-winged mantis (Tenodera angustipennis). In a single mantis egg case, the researchers discovered 77 wasps, marking a new record of the parasitoid's impact on its host.
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