Parasitic wasps or wasps number more than 100 thousand species and are famous primarily for laying their eggs in the bodies of other insects.
The hatched wasp larvae eat the body of an insect alive, almost like in the fantastic horror film Alien.
Most often, caterpillars and beetles, sometimes arthropods, including some species of spiders, become victims of wasps.
A new species of wasps recently discovered by scientists, living in the Amazon rainforest, is just parasitizing on large spiders.
The new species was named "Clistopyga crassicaudata" and stands out first of all for its huge thin long "sting". More precisely, an organ that is actually an ovipositor, but also serves as a sting.
With it, the wasp pierces the strong body of the spider and injects poison into it. This poison paralyzes the spider and turns it into live canned food for the wasp larvae.
“The sting of this new parasitic wasp 'Clistopyga crassicaudata' is not only quite large compared to other wasp but also very large compared to the body of the wasp itself,” says one of the discoverers of the new species, Finnish scientist Ilari Saaksjärvi from the University of Turku, “I have studied tropical rider species for many years, but have never seen anything like it. This sting looks like a cruel weapon."
After injecting venom through the ovipositor, the wasp places its eggs in the victim's body. Scientists have not yet figured out what specific species of spiders this rider parasitizes, but judging by the sting, this is most likely a rather large arthropod.
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Despite the fact that the very way of parasitizing wasps may seem disgusting, scientists say that these wasps play a useful role in the ecosystem.
