Aha (wasp) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Aha (wasp) |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Crabronidae |
| Subfamily: | Crabroninae |
| Tribe: | Miscophini |
| Genus: | Aha Menke, 1977 |
| Type species | |
| Aha ha Menke, 1977
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| Species | |
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| A. ha distribution | |
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| A. evansi distribution | |
Aha is a special group, or genus, of wasps. As of 2017, there are two known species in this group: A. ha and A. evansi. These wasps are only found in Australia, meaning they are endemic there. An American scientist named Arnold S. Menke discovered and named this group of wasps in 1977.
Discovering the Aha Wasps
In 1977, a scientist from America named Arnold S. Menke officially described the new group of wasps called Aha. He also described its two species, A. ha and A. evansi, at the same time. Other scientists, Howard Ensign Evans and Robert Matthews, helped Menke by giving him samples of these new wasps. They had collected them during trips to Australia in 1969–1970 and 1972.
Menke first studied only male wasps when he described the Aha genus and its species. Later, in 1980, another scientist named Ole C. Lomholdt described the female A. evansi wasp.
When Menke first named Aha, he placed it in a group called the Miscophini tribe. This was because of certain features, like their simple eyes (ocelli). Today, Aha wasps are still classified in the Miscophini tribe. This tribe belongs to the Crabroninae subfamily, which is part of the Crabronidae family of wasps.
Why the Name Aha?
The name Aha is quite unusual! In his 1977 paper, Menke wrote that "Aha is an arbitrary combination of letters chosen for brevity," meaning he just picked it to be short. However, he later explained the real reason. He said that when he first saw one of these new wasps, his immediate reaction was "Aha, a new genus!" This is like saying "Aha!" when you suddenly understand or discover something new.
Because of its funny name, Aha has appeared in many lists and articles about interesting or humorous scientific names for animals. For example, a writer named Richard Conniff wrote about scientific names in Science 82 magazine and ended his article by talking about the Aha wasp. In 1993, Menke himself included Aha in a list of animal names he found "funny" or "curious." It was also mentioned in an article by May Berenbaum in American Entomologist about creative names for insects.
Where Aha Wasps Live
The A. ha wasp was first found in a place called Kununurra, Western Australia. All the first samples of this wasp were collected from that same area.
The A. evansi wasp was first found about 12 to 21 miles (19 to 34 km) north of Ouyen, Victoria. More samples of A. evansi were later found about 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 km) south of Ouyen, and also about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Sherlock, South Australia.
Images for kids
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A. ha distribution
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A. evansi distribution
