New genus of wasp identified

The scientific community has named a new genus of wasp after the Soliga community of Karnataka.

• Wasp is a social winged insect which has a narrow waist and a sting and is typically yellow with black stripes.
• It constructs a paper nest from wood pulp and raises the larvae on a diet of insects.
• In recognition of the conservation of forests and biodiversity of the indigenous people.
• Genus named: Soliga ecarinata is an acknowledgement of the Soliga lifestyle which is rooted in the philosophy of sustainability since ancient days.
• This is the second genus of this subfamily reported from India and the first from South India

Key features of the Species:

• The new wasp belongs to the subfamily Metopiinae of Darwin wasps’ family Ichneumonidae.
• The subfamily Metopiinae has 862 species in 27 genera including two fossil genera.
• Most of these species are seen only in the Palaearctic region, Neotropical and Nearctic regions.

The Soliga community:

• The Soliga people are a tribal community found in the Biligiri Rangana (BR) Hills in the district of Chamarajanagar, in the southern state of Karnataka, India.
  
  
• They belong to the Australoid ethnic group: dark complexion, curly hair, short stature, a dolichocephalic head, a sunken nasal root and a depressed nasal bridge.
• They speak the Soliganudia dialect that has 65% lexical similarity with Kannada, a Dravidian language spoken in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
• The Soliga used to practice shifting cultivation.
• They grow Ragi(Finger millet, Eleusine coracana) for subsistence.
• Their main source of income is harvesting and sale of Non-timber Forest Produce (NTFP) like honey, nellikai(gooseberry, Emblica officinalis), bamboo, Paasi (Lichen), algae, wild turmeric, Indian blackberry, soapnut and nennari (wild root).
• They also make baskets using bamboo.
• Religion followed: Soliga people follow naturism and animism along with following Hindu practices and their main deities are Madeshwara.