The jewel wasp, also known as the emerald cockroach wasp, is a parasitic wasp known for its remarkable and somewhat eerie reproductive behavior. Here are a few short facts:

Mind Control: The jewel wasp injects venom into a cockroach's brain, effectively controlling its movements. This allows the wasp to lead the cockroach to a burrow where it will lay its eggs on the cockroach.

Parasitism: After the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the still-living cockroach, eventually killing it.

Venom Precision: The wasp's venom targets specific neurons in the cockroach's brain that control movement, making the cockroach passive but not killing it.

Size and Appearance: Jewel wasps are small, typically around 2 cm in length, with a metallic blue-green body that gives them their "jewel" name.

Natural Habitat: They are found in tropical regions, particularly in Africa, South Asia, and some parts of the Pacific Islands.

This unique behavior makes the jewel wasp a fascinating subject of study in both entomology and neurobiology.

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