KOZHIKODE: A team of four researchers from the state has identified two wasp species and named it after renowned natural historian and BBC broadcaster David Attenborough.
A new species of genus Smicromorpha (family of Chalcididae) was identified from Mukkam in Kozhikode, and another of genus Dasyproctus (family of Crabronidae) from Kannapuram mangrove sites in Kannur. They have been named Smicromorpha Attenboroughi and Dasyproctus Attenboroughi respectively.
Researchers who were part of the team include C Binoy of Zoology department, University of Calicut, Dr M Nasser, University of Calicut, Dr S Santhosh, Malabar Christian College, Kozhikode, and Dr P Girish Kumar, Zoological Survey of India, Regional Centre, Kozhikode. The research team’s findings have been published in the latest edition of the Zootaxa, an international peer-reviewed journal on animal taxonomy.
“Attenborough had ventured into the vastness of our planet as a life mission for the past seven decades. Through his prolific documentary series on Life and Planet Earth by BBC, he had made the world’s natural history accessible to all those who crave to explore. Hence we named the new species after him,” said Binoy.