New Wasp Species Named After Brad Pitt
Posted on May 4, 2016
Two new species of endoparasitic wasps have been discovered by researchers from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand and the University of Calicut, India. The wasps are found in South Africa and India. The wasp from South Africa is named after actor Brad Pitt.
The South Africa wasp species is named Conobregma bradpitti. Dr Buntika A. Butcher, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, named the wasp. She recalled her long hours of studying in her laboratory right under a poster of Brad Pitt when deciding on the name . The wasp measures less than 2 mm. Its body is dark brown, nearly black in color. Its head, antennae and legs are brown-yellow. The second new wasp species has been named Facitorus nasseri.
Both of the new wasps belong to a large worldwide group of wasps that parasitize moth or butterfly caterpillars. A research paper on the wasps was published here in the journal, ZooKeys.