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UC Davis Prof Discovers New Species - A Gigantic Wasp

DAVIS, Calif. (CBS13) – The insect world is abuzz over a new discovery made by a UC Davis scientist – a gigantic warrior wasp!

UC Davis Entomologist Lynn Kimsey discovered the big, shiny black bug on trip to Indonesia.

The male wasp is about 2 ½ inches long with huge jaws.

"Its jaws are so large that they wrap up either side of the head when closed. When the jaws are open they are actually longer than the male's front legs. I don't know how it can walk.," said Kimsey.

New Wasp Species
Lynn Kimsey with her newly discovered species nicknamed "warrior wasp." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
New Wasp Species
Close-up of male wasp. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
New Wasp Species
Size comparison: male (left) and female wasp of the newly discovered species. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
New Wasp Species
Side view of wasp. (Photos by Andrew Richards, Bohart Museum of Entomology)

Kimsey plans to name the wasp Garuda after the national symbol of Indonesia, a mythical warrior that's part human and part eagle.

Kimsey is a wasp expert who is a professor of entomology at UC Davis and director of the University's Bohart Museum of Entomology.

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