March 9, 2009-- This spider-hunting wasp is one of 19 new
species recently found in Australia --most of them in Western
Australia state, considered a "hotbed of biodiversity,"
scientists announced. hunt down and paralyze spiders, which are
later eaten alive by the wasps' developing larvae. In all,
scientists found 11 spiders and spider relatives, 3 crustaceans,
2 insects, a mollusc, a worm, and a sponge. (Related pictures:
"Cyanide Millipede, Huge Spider Among New Species." "The
discovery of new species of life on Earth is an ongoing and
exciting process," study author Mark Harvey, head of terrestrial
zoology at the Western Australian Museum, said in a statement.
"The future of all life on this fragile planet depends on how
quickly we can recognize, document, and describe new species,"
added Harvey, whose discoveries appeared recently in the journal
Records of the Western Australian Museum. • More Photos in the
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