Scientists discover Soliga Ecarinata, new genus of wasps

Bengaluru: A new genus of wasps has been discovered by researchers from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE). The insect bears the name of one of the Biligiri Rangana Hills' native tribes, the Soliga (BR Hills).

Soliga Ecarinata is the name of the genus, and "Ecarinata" refers to the absence of ridges in some body parts. According to entomologists AP Ranjith and Dharma Rajan Priyadarsanan, it is brilliantly colourful and different from all of its relatives. According to reports, the choice to name them after the tribe was made in an effort to honour the community's sustainable and conservationist practices.

As part of ATREE's Western Ghats Insect Inventory initiative, wasp specimens were gathered 15 years ago. Later, the organisation went back to the wet forest habitat in Nagaland to gather more samples. This new wasp is a member of the Metopiinae subfamily of the Ichneumonidae family of Darwin wasps. This is the second time a genus belonging to this subfamily has been found in India, and the first time from South India. The subfamily now comprises 862 species. All of the parasitic species in this subfamily eat the caterpillars of moths and butterflies.

One of the Soliga community's field assistants advised the scientists to leave some wasps behind when they were collecting them for study since the forest needed them. The scientists gave the new wasps the name of the community in response to their philosophical outlook. The two's research was released in the European Journal of Taxonomy the following year.

When the government declared the region a tiger reserve, the Soligas were the first tribal group in India to be granted the privilege to reside in their ancestral home of the BR Hills. One of India's biodiverse locations is the BR Hills, which are located at the confluence of the Eastern and Western Ghats.