A tiny species of wasp discovered in Mexico which kills an invasive pest threatening crops has been named after British actor Idris Elba.
In this way, noted actor Idris Elba has earned a pointed honor for his role as Norse gatekeeper Heimdall in Marvel’s Thor movies.
The wasp was found living as a parasite in the eggs of another insect, known as the bagrada bug, which is a major pest of cruciferous vegetables.
The Idris elba wasp is a parasitic species that researchers hope will deter the stink bug species Bagrada hilaris, which damages crops across North America. This newly discovered wasp species could be the ultimate weapon in the battle against the stink bug — also known as the painted bug — by “parasitizing” stink bug eggs and thus preventing offspring from growing.
The genus Idris was described in 1856 and now contains over 300 species and many more species are still undescribed, according to the study published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research.
Commonly known as the bagrada bug, it is native to Africa, but is already an established and important pest of over 74 plant species in India, southern Europe, southern Asia and the Middle East
