Nature today | A newly described insect named Naturalis

Ant wasps (Mutillidae) are insects that are very similar to ants, but are actually wasps. Females without wings. Ant wasps are more hairy than ants, which is why they are called velvet ants. There are approximately 8000 species of ant wasps worldwide, only three of which are found in the Netherlands. In a recent publication in the trade magazine ZooTaxa Scientists from Japan, America, Russia and Vietnam take a female ant wasp of her species Andreimyrme Under examination again. They described nine new types of science.

To get a good idea for everyone AndreimyrmeOf the species, they collected specimens, but they also considered specimens previously collected from all kinds of natural history collections, including Naturalis collections. About 10,000 antagonists of an unknown naturalis have been loaned to Antwasp expert Kevin Williams for use in multiple studies, including one Andreimyrme.

Find out in the group

Among the nine newly discovered species in this study, three were discovered in the material borrowed from Naturalis. “And this is just one of the studies that Dr. Williams and colleagues are doing with our material!” , said group manager Fredrik Bakker enthusiastically. “So examples from museums like Naturalis provide an excellent basis for research into biodiversity.”

As a token of appreciation, scientists have named one of these new species Naturalis: Andreimyrme a naturalist. “They allowed us to study about ten thousand of their ant wasps,” they wrote. Naturalis is pleased and honored with this nomination.

position of honor

This ant wasp can be distinguished from related species by its antennae and dark legs. It also has a distinctive fold and thorn on the chest. The described specimen was collected in Java in 1931, and the species may still be found there. The ant wasp in question is still in California with one of the authors ZooTaxaarticle, but will be given an honorary place in the Naturalis Collection upon return.

more information

full sheet: Female Andreimyrme Lelej review (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae: Smicromyrmini)

text: Natural Biodiversity Center
Foto’s: Kevin Williams, California Department of Food and Agriculture