New Wasp Species Named After Aphrodite

Posted on August 31, 2026

Scientists have discovered five new species of tiny parasitoid wasps in Cyprus. This more than doubles the number of chalcid wasps known to be unique to the island. The wasps all belong to the family Pteromalidae.

The new species are Ablaxia makrisi, Ablaxia toxeftrae, Erythromalus makrisi, Hemitrichus akrotiriensis and Janssoniella aphrodite. The last was named after the Greek goddess Aphrodite because it was collected near an area where Aphrodite was worshipped during ancient times. The new species Ablaxia makrisi is shown in the photograph above.

Evangelos Koutsoukos, an entomologist at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, says, “Our collecting efforts yielded many more interesting specimens, which might represent new species as well.”

The article was published in the journal, ZooKeys.

Image: Evangelos Koutsoukos