A soul-sucking "dementor" wasp is one of the 139 new species scientists have discovered in Southeast Asia, according to the World Wildlife Federation.
The terrifying species, also known as ampulex dementor, paralyzes its cockroach victims with its venomous sting before eating them alive. The wasp got its name from people who visited Berlin's natural history museum, in honor of the dementors in the Harry Potter world, who are known for stealing people's souls.
A dementor wasp, which lives in one of the top five endangered habitats in the world, preys on cockroaches by injecting venom with its sting into the mass of neurons on its victim's belly that turns the cockroach into a passive zombie. The wasp's venom "blocks receptors of the neurotransmitter octopamine, which is involved in the initiation of spontaneous movement," which means that even though the roach is able to move, it loses its ability to direct its own body. Once the prey has given up control, the wasp drags the stunned and paralyzed victim to a safe shelter in order to devour it, according to The Washington Post.
"A color-changing thorny frog a stealthy wolf snake, the 10,000th reptile species discovered in the world, a bat with remarkable fangs, a new crocodile newt, a feathered coral, four Thai 'Princess' moths, the world's second-longest insect, and two orchids," were some of the other species that scientists discovered. Scientists discovered a total of 90 new plants, 23 reptiles, 16 amphibians, nine fish and one mammal in Greater Mekong region of Asia, according to a WWF report.
