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IMAGE: There are a total of over 2,500 described golden wasp species, with 40 recorded in Norway. view more
Credit: Photo: Arnstein Staverløkk, NINA, CC BY3.
Cuckoo wasps - also called emerald wasps - are some of the most beautiful insects we have, with colourful exteriors that shine like jewels. However, these beauties have also created a lot of headaches. Normally we distinguish insects from each other by their appearance, but cuckoo wasps are so similar to each other that it makes it difficult, says Frode Ødegaard.
Ødegaard is an insect researcher at the NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) University Museum and belongs to the European research group that has now described thia recent contribution to species diversity. The new species is very rare, and is only a single specimen has been found on the Lista peninsula in Agder county in Norway.