Nature guide finds wasp not previously recorded in Denmark

A tiny parasitic wasp not previously recorded in Denmark has been found in Gribskov Nature National Park, DR reports, citing the Natural History Museum of Denmark.

The wasp, named the decorated dwarf parasitic wasp, measures just 2.5 millimetres. Nature guide Lars Holm Hansen discovered it during a bioblitz, an event in which participants survey a natural area and record as many species as possible. The museum said Hansen’s proposed Danish name for the species has been approved.

The name refers to the scientific name Hemiptarsenus ornatus. The Latin word ornatus means “ornamented” or “decorated” and describes the wasp’s metallic sheen.

The species is already known in Germany, Sweden and Norway. Lars Vilhelmsen, an insect curator at the museum, said it had probably been in Denmark for a long time but was difficult to spot because of its small size. He added that many parasitic wasp species in Denmark may still be unrecorded.

The bioblitz recorded 2,881 observations across 1,389 species. Of those, 41 are listed on Denmark’s Red List as threatened or near threatened.