India, June 29 -- In a major contribution to research around biodiversity, a team of scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has discovered four new species of tiny spider-egg parasitic wasps in West Bengal. The discovery has drawn international attention and is a collaborative effort involving experts from multiple ZSI centres, with key molecular analysis carried out by K P Dinesh, scientist E at ZSI's Western Regional Centre in Pune.

The study has been published in the European Journal of Taxonomy and describes four previously unknown species of parasitoid wasps belonging to the genus, Idris Forster (Hymenoptera Scelionidae) namely Idris bianor, Idris furvus, Idris hyllus and Idris longiscapus. These wasps are primary egg ...