Crypt-keeper parasitic wasp species discovered

Scientists have discovered a new parasitic wasp species native to the southeastern U.S.: the crypt-keeper wasp (Euderus set).

The wasp gets its name from the Egyptian god of evil and chaos, Set, whose name is usually translated as “instigator of confusion” and “destroyer,” according to Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited.

The crypt-keeper wasp lays its egg inside wooden chambers in live oak trees created by the gall wasp (Bassettia pallida), another parasitic wasp species. The crypt-keeper wasp larva traps the gall wasp by forcing it to create a chamber too small for it to escape. Then, its consumes the host from the inside out, escaping through the gall wasp’s head once it develops.

Researchers explain this manipulator in “Tales from the crypt: a parasitoid manipulates the behaviour of its parasite host,” a paper published Jan. 25 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Learn more about this wasp species in the video from Houston’s Rice University.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wjWJseml7A