Atree Rajathae, a new species, was discovered along with two other species, Baeacis Improcerus and Baeacis Validus. This new genus was named after Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, an environmental think tank. This is the first time that an Indian institute has an eponymous insect.
The tribe Diospilini from the subfamily Brachistinae is responsible for the new genus. The tribe Diospilini includes 13 genera and 125 species, which are mostly found in the Palaearctic area. Six species are known from the Indomalayan realm, and Atree Rajathae was the first Indian report on the tribe Diosplini.
The parasitoid wasp has been newly described. Parasitoids are one of the most important natural enemies for other insects. Humans use this behaviour to control crop pests. Baeacis Improcerus (the other Taiwanese species) and Baeacis Validus (the other Taiwanese species) were also transferred to this new genus due to their morphological similarities to Atree.
The Atree researchers collaborated with Cornelis Vand Achterberg (Naturalis Biodiversity Center Leiden The Netherlands) to help in the discovery of this new genus. They also conducted comparative studies with braconids.
This new and unique genus is yet another testament to how little we know about the amazing diversity of parasitoid wasps found in India. Dr Ravikanth G is the Acting Director at Atree.
Priyadarsanan Diharsanan Dharmarajan, the senior author, said that Agasthyamala Biosphere is well-known for its plant diversity, high levels of enemism, and other attributes. This critical biodiversity area’s insect diversity is often under-explored.
He said, “When we conducted a survey on dung beetles within the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, which is part of the AgasthyamalaBiosphere Reserve, it yielded over 80 species, or 20% of India’s dungbeetle fauna.” An in-depth exploration of the insect diversity of Western Ghats may reveal not only a large amount of new taxa, but also many interesting stories that reveal the biogeography and importance of insects for sustaining life on Earth.
“The discovery of a new genus of wasps by the Atree team is a very significant finding. E O Wilson, Harvard University’s most famous biodiversity specialist, once observed that it is the small things which run the world. Wilson died a few weeks ago. Wilson’s point was that we focus too much on large mammals in biodiversity conservation. All creatures, large and small, are essential components of nature and play crucial roles in the functioning ecosystems that are rapidly declining around the globe. Kamal Bawa, president at Atree, stated that it is fitting that Atree is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
To fill large gaps in the Western Ghats’ insect inventory, a large number of insects was collected around a decade and half ago. These collections were sorted by family members and stored in the ATREE Insectmuseum (AIMB).
Atree entomologists had to be confined to their laboratory due to the pandemic. They then analysed the Hymenopterans parasitics in the old collections. They have so far identified more than 80 new species from the Western Ghats. This is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the world. Atree entomologists identified as many 20 new species of insect from these collections in 2021.