|
Brachycistidinae
Brachycistidinae is a subfamily of the flower wasp family Tiphiidae that contains 10 genera and 85 species, and which is confined to the Nearctic zoogeographic region. Distinguishing Characters The wasps in the subfamily Brachycistidinae are distinguished from the subfamily Tiphiinae by having simple claws and the lack of an epicnemial suture, while the tegulae do not cover the axillary sclerites of the fore wings. These wasps demonstrate extreme sexual dimorphism; the females resemble ants and are wingless, while the males are winged and nocturnal. These extreme differences between the sexes have led to instances where the males and females are described as separate species, known as "dual taxonomy", and later work shows the two "species" to be synonymous. The identification of both sexes as a single species is often only achieved when they are collected ''in copula''. Biology The female wasps of the family Tiphiidae are mainly ectoparasitic on fossorial beetle larvae, especi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tiphiidae
The Tiphiidae (also known as the tiphiid wasps) are a family of large, solitary wasps whose larvae are parasitoids of various beetle larvae, especially those in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea. Until recently, this family contained several additional subfamilies, but multiple studies have independently confirmed that these comprise a separate lineage, and are now classified in the family Thynnidae. The females of some Brachycistidinae are wingless, and hunt ground-dwelling (fossorial) beetle larvae. The prey is paralysed with the female's sting, and an egg is lain on it so the wasp larva has a ready supply of food. As some of the ground-dwelling scarab species attacked by tiphiids are pests, some of these wasps are considered beneficial as biological control agents. Taxonomy Tiphiid genera are classified as follows: Subfamily Brachycistidinae *'' Acanthetropis'' Wasbauer, 1958 *'' Brachycistellus'' Baker, 1907 *'' Brachycistina'' Malloch, 1926 *'' Brachycistis'' Fox, 1893 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tiphiinae
Tiphiinae is one of the two subfamilies of the flower wasp family Tiphiidae, the other being the Nearctic Brachycistidinae. It is the larger of the two and has a worldwide distribution. Characteristics Tiphiinae are small to medium sized solitary wasps, up to 25 mm in length. The eyes are ovate and do not demonstrate emargination. The males have 10-13 antennal segments while the females have 10-12. The antennae may, or may not be, bent at a sharp angle. The thorax is normally coloured orange-red or black and the thorax of the wingless females has distinct dorsal segmentation. The pronotum is long and extends posteriorly towards the tegulae. The spiracle cover lobes on the pronotum are lined with close fine hairs. There is no suture on the mesopleuron. Wings are present in all males but females may be winged or wingless. If wings are present they are not folded longitudinally. Fore-wings have a distinct pterostigma; and the wing venation is well developed. The legs show a for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Great Basin National Park
Great Basin National Park is an American national park located in White Pine County in east-central Nevada, near the Utah border, established in 1986. The park is most commonly entered by way of Nevada State Route 488, which is connected to U.S. Routes 6 and 50 by Nevada State Route 487 via the small town of Baker, the closest settlement. The park derives its name from the Great Basin, the dry and mountainous region between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Mountains. Topographically, this area is known as the Basin and Range Province. The park is located about north of Las Vegas and protects . The park is notable for its groves of ancient bristlecone pines, the oldest known living non-clonal organisms; Lehman Caves; Wheeler Peak Glacier, below Wheeler Peak; and some of the darkest night skies in the contiguous United States. President Warren G. Harding created Lehman Caves National Monument by presidential proclamation on January 24, 1922. The monument and its surroundi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clades
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, the equivalent Latin term ''cladus'' (plural ''cladi'') is often used in taxonomical literature. The common ancestor may be an individual, a population, or a species (extinct or extant). Clades are nested, one in another, as each branch in turn splits into smaller branches. These splits reflect evolutionary history as populations diverged and evolved independently. Clades are termed monophyletic (Greek: "one clan") groups. Over the last few decades, the cladistic approach has revolutionized biological classification and revealed surprising evolutionary relationships among organisms. Increasingly, taxonomists try to avoid naming taxa that are not clades; that is, taxa that are not monophyletic. Some of the relationships between organisms t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
