Creating excitement, recent research by a biologist has revealed a new species of parasitic wasp with unique characteristics found in the Eastern United States. This discovery paves the way for future investigations into essential biological mechanisms.
Generating excitement in Nature, a biologist from Mississippi State has uncovered a previously unknown species of parasitic wasp that displays remarkable biology in the Eastern U.S. This finding opens avenues for further exploration in fundamental biological processes.
Associate Professor Matthew Ballinger highlighted his findings in the prominent science journal with the article titled “Drosophila are hosts to the first described parasitoid wasp of adult flies.” The article discusses a new wasp identified from backyard fly traps—a “spectacular example of unnoticed biology present in plain sight.”
“Typically, all known parasitoid wasps that target flies attack and develop within their immature stages,” he stated. “Despite two centuries of studying parasitoid wasps of Drosophila and other flies, we have not encountered a species that targets the adult stage—until now.”
Logan Moore, a Ph.D. student under Ballinger and the principal author of the Nature article, initiated the project by gathering infected fruit flies from his backyard in Starkville. The research team employed a combination of field collections along with public data to demonstrate that the new wasp species is distributed throughout the Eastern U.S. and infects Drosophila melanogaster, one of the most widely researched organisms in biology.
“Examining how parasites and pathogens affect Drosophila’s biology and behavior has helped scientists gain insights into fundamental processes such as immunity and reproduction,” noted Ballinger.
Ballinger’s team partnered with Scott Shaw, a specialist in entomology and parasitoid wasps at the University of Wyoming, to officially describe the new species. They also documented the complete life cycle of the wasp and shared guidelines for others interested in breeding adult wasps in laboratory settings.
“We are eager to deepen our understanding of this new species and hope that other researchers will embark on their projects to enhance knowledge about its infection biology, ecology, and evolution in the years ahead,” Ballinger stated, stressing the importance of continued support for research in insect biodiversity and systematics.
