A new family of wasps has been discovered in New Zealand. While it is not
uncommon to discover new insect species, it is rare to find creatures different
enough to constitute a separate family. The wasps, called Maamingidae from the
Maori word for trickster, have heads that look like those of one related wasp
group, and tails that look like another’s. DNA analysis to be published shortly
shows they are most closely related to wasps from Australia and South America,
so they must have evolved in Gondwanaland, the supercontinent that once united
those land masses (Invertebrate Taxonomy, vol 15, p…
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
2
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
3
A type of fibre that stimulates GLP-1 release approved for use in food
4
Babies are born with the neural foundations for maths
5
The weirdness of neutrinos could completely rewrite particle physics
6
The best new science-fiction novels published in July 2026
7
We’re not the most successful human species
8
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
9
Slowdown of AMOC ocean current may be gradual and reversible
10
Have scientists really made a living cell from scratch? Not quite
