Challenging 200 Years of Research: Scientists Discover Bizarre New Insect With Unusual Biology

A Mississippi State biologist has discovered a new parasitic wasp species that uniquely targets adult flies, a scientific first.

Creating a buzz in Nature, a Mississippi State biologist’s research led to the discovery of a new parasitic wasp species with unusual biology in the Eastern U.S., opening doors for future research in fundamental biological processes.

Associate Professor Matthew Ballinger’s article “Drosophila are hosts to the first described parasitoid wasp of adult flies” in the world’s leading science journal highlights the discovery of a new wasp from backyard fly traps, revealing a “spectacular example of undescribed biology hidden in plain sight.”

Unprecedented Behavior in Parasitic Wasps

“All known parasitoid wasps of flies attack and develop inside immature life stages,” he said, “and despite 200 years of research on parasitoid wasps of Drosophila and other flies, we have never come across a species that attacks the adult stage, until now.”

Emergence of an S. perlmani larva from D. affinis. Around the eighteenth day post oviposition, the S. erlmani larva emerges from the lateral or dorsolateral (shown) abdomen of the host. Credit: Matthew Ballinger

Logan Moore, Ballinger’s Ph.D. student who was the Nature article’s lead author, began the project by collecting infected fruit flies from his backyard in Starkville. The team then used a combination of field collections and public data to show the new species lives across the Eastern U.S. and infects one of the most studied animals in biology, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.

Potential for Future Biological Research

“Studying how parasites and pathogens influence Drosophila biology and behavior has helped researchers learn more about fundamental biological processes like immunity and reproduction,” Ballinger said.

Ballinger’s team collaborated with Scott Shaw, an entomologist and parasitoid wasp expert at the University of Wyoming, to formally describe the new species. Researchers also documented the wasp’s complete life cycle and provided instructions for others to raise adult wasps in the laboratory.

“We’re excited to learn more about the new species, and we hope other researchers will begin their own projects to better understand its infection biology, ecology and evolution in the coming years,” Ballinger said, emphasizing the need for ongoing research investment in insect biodiversity and systematics.

This work is part of Ballinger’s 2022 $805,682 five-year CAREER grant to study Spiroplasma, the beneficial bacterium that protects its fruit fly hosts against infection by parasites.

Reference: “Drosophila are hosts to the first described parasitoid wasp of adult flies” by Logan D. Moore, Toluwanimi Chris Amuwa, Scott Richard Shaw and Matthew J. Ballinger, 11 September 2024, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07919-7

The study was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and McIntire-Stennis.

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