A wasp that has lain in a museum for 40 years has been named in honour of legendary naturalist David Attenborough

The new species has been named Attenboroughnculus tau. It is a tiny ichneumonid wasp only about 3.5 mm long. The specimen was collected back in 1983 in the Valdivia province of Chile, but remained in a museum collection for decades until its unusual features were noticed during a detailed revision of the material.

Details

The wasp has been described not only as a new species, but also as a new genus. This means that it was so different from its closest known relatives that it could not logically be assigned to any existing genus.

The genus name Attenboroughnculus is dedicated to David Attenborough, whose nature documentaries have inspired generations of viewers and researchers. The species name tau refers to the conspicuous T-shaped marking on the insect's abdomen.

The study was led by Dr Gavin Broad, chief curator of insects at the Natural History Museum in London. He said it was Attenborough's Life on Earth series that inspired him as a child to pursue taxonomy - the science of describing and classifying living organisms.

Why it matters

The story of this wasp shows that new species can be found not only on expeditions but also in museum collections. The specimen lay among the materials for decades before experts realised that they were looking at an insect unknown to science.

This is especially important for insects: many of their groups are still incompletely studied. Even well-researched collections may contain species that have not yet been scientifically described.

The finding also underlines the importance of taxonomy - work that often goes unnoticed by the general public, but without it it is impossible to fully assess biodiversity and understand which species need protection.

Background

David Attenborough is one of the world's best-known writers and presenters of nature documentaries. His career in television spans decades, and his work has helped make the topics of biodiversity, evolution and conservation mainstream. Various species of animals and plants have already been named in Attenborough's honour, and now a new genus of parasitic wasp has also been named after him.

Parasitic wasps are often overlooked by the general public because of their small size and unusual lifestyle. Many of them lay their eggs in other insects or invertebrates. The lifestyle of Attenboroughnculus tau is still largely unknown, but based on its related groups, scientists speculate that it too may be a parasitoid.

Source

The study The description of a new genus of Pedunculinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from Chile and a key to the world genera is published in the Journal of Natural History in 2026.