Teh One Who Knocks
06-29-2018, 11:09 AM
By Guy Birchall - The Scottish Sun
https://i.imgur.com/4lmP6HH.jpg
A new species of wasp that lays its eggs inside a host has been discovered in Australia
A NEW species of parasitic wasp that eats victims from the inside out has been discovered.
The terrifying insect is so similar to the fictional monsters in Ridley Scott’s “Alien” that it was even named after the “xenomorph” creatures in the sci-fi horror movies.
Researchers discovered that adult members of the species Dolichogenidea xenomorph inject eggs into live caterpillars using a long needle-like injector known as an “ovipositor”.
Their offspring then slowly devour their victims from the inside out before bursting out like the creature from John Hurt’s chest in Alien.
Erinn Fagan-Jeffries, a PhD student at the University of Adelaide said: “It acts as a parasite in caterpillars in a similar way that the fictional Alien creature does in its human host.
“The wasp is also black and shiny like the alien, and has a couple of weird traits for the genus – so xenomorph, meaning ‘strange form’, fits really well.
“At less than 5mm in length, Dolichogenidea xenomorph might seem to lack the punch of its fearsome namesake. But given its size is relative; to a host caterpillar, it’s an awesome predator.”
The bug is one of three Parasitoid wasps, which is the name for creatures which eat their hosts.
It is thought these creatures could be used to control populations of caterpillars which destroy farmers’ crops.
A total of three new wasp species were found to engage in parasitic behaviour and it’s believed there could be even more of the beasts lurking in the wilds of Australia.
The wasp was found in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, but scientists believe it “likely has a wider distribution across” the antipodean nation.
https://i.imgur.com/4lmP6HH.jpg
A new species of wasp that lays its eggs inside a host has been discovered in Australia
A NEW species of parasitic wasp that eats victims from the inside out has been discovered.
The terrifying insect is so similar to the fictional monsters in Ridley Scott’s “Alien” that it was even named after the “xenomorph” creatures in the sci-fi horror movies.
Researchers discovered that adult members of the species Dolichogenidea xenomorph inject eggs into live caterpillars using a long needle-like injector known as an “ovipositor”.
Their offspring then slowly devour their victims from the inside out before bursting out like the creature from John Hurt’s chest in Alien.
Erinn Fagan-Jeffries, a PhD student at the University of Adelaide said: “It acts as a parasite in caterpillars in a similar way that the fictional Alien creature does in its human host.
“The wasp is also black and shiny like the alien, and has a couple of weird traits for the genus – so xenomorph, meaning ‘strange form’, fits really well.
“At less than 5mm in length, Dolichogenidea xenomorph might seem to lack the punch of its fearsome namesake. But given its size is relative; to a host caterpillar, it’s an awesome predator.”
The bug is one of three Parasitoid wasps, which is the name for creatures which eat their hosts.
It is thought these creatures could be used to control populations of caterpillars which destroy farmers’ crops.
A total of three new wasp species were found to engage in parasitic behaviour and it’s believed there could be even more of the beasts lurking in the wilds of Australia.
The wasp was found in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, but scientists believe it “likely has a wider distribution across” the antipodean nation.