#mischocyttarus

[natural-reflection]

Paper Wasp Mischocyttarus mexicanus cubicola

Magens Bay, St. Thomas, USVI, United States, 2014 Magens Bay

[humanbyweight]

I saw your wasp post and I must say. I can’t tell if I envy you or pity you. You seem to be the epitome of that old curse to live in interesting times.

Thanks lol. It is a status condition that everyone with an arthropod hyperfixation must eventually bear.

I'm currently working on the 2nd edition of my wasp book for Princeton Press. I'm trying not to imagine all of the faces in hands at the meeting when I submit the final page count... 😅

The newest wasp is an undescribed species of Hilted Wasp (genus Mischocyttarus) from the Bahoruco Mountains along the Dominican Republic / Haiti border. Its morphology appears superficially similar to nearby Mischocyttarus (based on what I can see in images), but its range does not appear to overlap, and the extent of yellow in its color pattern is entirely unique.

The process of describing and naming a new species requires collecting specimens, examining them under a microscope, writing up a full research paper, and distributing type specimens to museum collections. As much as I would enjoy doing all of that, I don't have the time or resources at the moment, so I just flag undescribed species so that other (preferably local) entomologists can study them in greater detail.

Finding a new species every time I comb through iNaturalist data can be tiresome, but it is a reminder of the limitless beauty and breadth of the natural world, and a teasing glimpse of just how much there is to discover.