(CNN) A biologist in New Zealand wants to clean up the image of wasps -- by naming one after Lucius Malfoy, one of Harry Potter's arch-enemies in the fantasy fiction series.

Lusius malfoyi, the newly discovered species of non-stinging wasp, is one of an estimated 3,000 of the insects found in New Zealand.

Tom Saunders, a researcher from the University of Auckland, who read his first Harry Potter book at age 10, was inspired to name it after one of the chief villains in the series.

"People see wasps as villains, as the 'bad guys.' But the truth is that the vast majority of wasp species are either neutral or beneficial, from a human standpoint. Just as Lucius Malfoy is pardoned after separating from Voldemort's allies, I'm asking people to pardon wasps in order to restore their reputation as interesting, important creatures," he told CNN.

Lucius, the father of Draco Malfoy, is depicted by J.K. Rowling as an evil figure, responsible for opening the Chamber of Secrets holding the deadly Basilisk captive in the second book in the series.

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