The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University has come together with a committee of scientists from around the world to compile a top 10 list of new species discovered in 2011. The choices encompass a range of incredible organisms, from fossilised specimens of a curiously shaped lobopod named the “walking cactus” to a new species of snub-nosed monkey from Myanmar that sneezes when it rains. But my personal favourite is the parasitic wasp Kollasmosoma sentum shown in this video. These wasps cruise along at around a centimetre above ground, looking for their desired hosts: ants of the species Cataglyphis ibericus. When a host is found, the wasp dive-bombs towards it and deposits an egg within the space of just 0.052 seconds on average! The interaction may be brief but it is catastrophic for the ant, which will then become the food source for the growing larvae once the eggs hatch. Parasites are so interesting - it’s amazing how some species have evolved such ingenious adaptations in order to exploit others for their own survival.

Click here to find out more about all of the top 10. 

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