Tom Saunders, a researcher at the University of Auckland, said he wanted to show that the wasp, which he named after the Lucius Malfoy character in the JK Rowling books, is not as evil as its reputation suggests. Despite the insect’s fearsome reputation, New Zealand’s 3,000 species of native parasitoid wasps do not sting and do not live in colonies.
“I used the name Lusius malfoyi because Malfoy is a character in the books with a bad reputation who is ultimately redeemed and I’m trying to redeem the reputation of our native wasps,” said Mr Saunders.