30th January 2023 (6 Topics)
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New genus of wasp identified
Context
The scientific community has named a new genus of wasp after the Soliga community of Karnataka.
About
- 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.
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The species is named ‘ecarinata’ denoting the absence of ridges in certain body regions and this new insect is strikingly colourful and distinct from all its relatives. |
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.
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