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Hunting Wasp
Hunting wasps are members of various taxa of the insect order Hymenoptera. Their habits and affinities vary in many ways, but all practise parental care of their larvae in that they capture prey, usually insects, to feed their larvae. Whether solitary or social, most species construct some form of protection or nest in which they hide the prey and in which the larvae can feed and pupate in reasonable security. Most solitary hunting wasps sting their prey in such a manner as to paralyse it without killing it. As a result it remains fresh for the young to eat. In contrast carnivorous social wasps generally feed prey piecemeal to the larvae as soon as they bring it back to the colony, so there is no need for preservation of the material. A minority of solitary hunting wasps, such as certain Bembicinae, also butcher their prey before feeding it to the larvae. Overview ''Hunting wasp'' is not a biological taxon, but rather describes certain ecological strategies that occur within ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tachypompilus Ignitus PompilidaeIMG 3672a
''Tachypompilus'' is a genus of spider wasps, found in the Neotropics. Nearctic, eastern Palearctic, Indomalayan and Afrotropics. Species The species included in ''Tachypompilius'' include: *'' Tachypompilus analis'' (Fabricius, 1781) red-tailed spider wasp *'' Tachypompilus atratus'' (Colomo de Correa, 1985) *'' Tachypompilus banksi'' (Colomo de Correa, 1985) *'' Tachypompilus erubescens'' (Taschenberg, 1869) *''Tachypompilus ferrugineus ''Tachypompilus ferrugineus'', the rusty spider wasp, red-tailed spider hunter, or sometimes red-tailed spider wasp (but that name is also used for the Asian species '' Tachypompilus analis'') is a species of spider wasp from the Americas. It pr ...'' (Say, 1824) rusty spider wasp *'' Tachypompilus gracilis'' (Colomo de Correa, 1985) *'' Tachypompilus ignitus'' (Smith, 1855) rain spider wasp *'' Tachypompilus larssoni'' (Kurczewski, 2007) *'' Tachypompilus latus'' (Smith) *'' Tachypompilus mendozae'' (Dalla Torre, 1897) *'' Tachypompilus o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parasitoid
In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable strategy, evolutionary strategies within parasitism, distinguished by the fatal prognosis for the host, which makes the strategy close to predation. Among parasitoids, strategies range from living inside the host (''endoparasitism''), allowing it to continue growing before emerging as an adult, to Paralysis, paralysing the host and living outside it (''ectoparasitism''). Hosts can include other parasitoids, resulting in hyperparasitism; in the case of oak galls, up to five levels of parasitism are possible. Some parasitoids Behavior-altering parasite, influence their host's behaviour in ways that favour the propagation of the parasitoid. Parasitoids are found in a variety of Taxon, taxa across the insect superorder Endopterygota, whose compl ... [...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] |
Spider Wasp
Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary (with the exception of some group-nesting Ageniellini), and most capture and paralyze prey, though members of the subfamily Ceropalinae are kleptoparasites of other pompilids, or ectoparasitoids of living spiders. In South America, species may be referred to colloquially as or , though these names can be generally applied to any very large stinging wasps. Furthermore, in some parts of Venezuela and Colombia, it is called , or "horse killers", while in Brazil some particular bigger and brighter species of the general kind might be called /, or "throat locker". Morphology Like other strong fliers, pompilids have a thorax modified for efficient flight. The metathorax is solidly fused to the pronotum and mesothorax; moreover, the prothorax is best developed in Pompilidae a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pompilidae
Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary (with the exception of some group-nesting Ageniellini), and most capture and paralyze prey, though members of the subfamily Ceropalinae are kleptoparasites of other pompilids, or ectoparasitoids of living spiders. In South America, species may be referred to colloquially as or , though these names can be generally applied to any very large stinging wasps. Furthermore, in some parts of Venezuela and Colombia, it is called , or "horse killers", while in Brazil some particular bigger and brighter species of the general kind might be called /, or "throat locker". Morphology Like other strong fliers, pompilids have a thorax modified for efficient flight. The metathorax is solidly fused to the pronotum and mesothorax; moreover, the prothorax is best developed in Pompilidae a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vespoidea
Vespoidea is a superfamily of wasps in the order Hymenoptera, although older taxonomic schemes may vary in this categorization, particularly in whether to recognize the superfamilies Scolioidea (for scoliid wasps) or Formicoidea (for ants). Vespoidea includes wasps with a large variety of lifestyles: eusocial, social, and solitary habits, predators, scavengers, parasitoids, and some herbivores. Description Vespoid wasp females have antennae with 10 flagellomeres, while males have 11 flagellomeres. The edge of the pronotum reaches or passes the tegula. Many species display some level of sexual dimorphism. Most species have fully developed wings, but some have reduced or absent wings in one or both sexes. As in other Aculeata, only the females are ever capable of stinging. Phylogenetics and taxonomy Research based on four nuclear genes (elongation factor-1α F2 copy, long-wavelength rhodopsin, wingless and the D2–D3 regions of 28S ribosomal RNA—2700 bp in total) sugge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sphex
Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae ('' sensu lato''), though most apart from the Sphecinae have now been moved to the family Crabronidae. There are over 130 known ''Sphex'' species. Behaviour In preparation for egg laying, they construct a protected "nest" (some species dig nests in the ground, while others use pre-existing holes) and then stock it with captured insects. Typically, the prey are left alive, but paralyzed by wasp toxins. The wasps lay their eggs in the provisioned nest and the wasp larvae feed on the paralyzed insects as they develop. The great golden digger wasp ('' Sphex ichneumoneus'') is found in North America. The developing wasps spend the winter in their nest. When the new generation of adults emerge, they contain the genetically programmed behaviors required to carry out another season of nes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sphecidae
The Sphecidae are a cosmopolitan family of wasps of the suborder Apocrita that includes sand wasps, mud daubers, and other thread-waisted wasps. The name Sphecidae was formerly given to a much larger grouping of wasps. This was found to be paraphyletic, so most of the old subfamilies have been moved to the Crabronidae. Biology The biology of the Sphecidae, even under the restricted definition, is still fairly diverse; some sceliphrines even display rudimentary forms of sociality, and some sphecines rear multiple larvae in a single large brood cell. Many nest in pre-existing cavities, or dig simple burrows in the soil, but some species construct free-standing nests of mud and even (in one genus) resin. All are predatory and parasitoidal, but the type of prey ranges from spiders to various dictyopterans, orthopteroids and larvae of either Lepidoptera or other Hymenoptera; the vast majority practice mass provisioning, providing all the prey items prior to laying the egg. Phylo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crabronidae
The Crabronidae are a large paraphyletic group (nominally a family) of wasps, including nearly all of the species formerly comprising the now-defunct superfamily Sphecoidea. It collectively includes well over 200 genera, containing well over 9000 species. Crabronids were originally a part of Sphecidae, but the latter name is now restricted to a separate family based on what was once the subfamily Sphecinae. Several of the subfamilies of Crabronidae are often treated as families in their own right, as is true of the most recent phylogenies (example below). Phylogeny This phylogenetic tree is based on Sann ''et al.'', 2018, which used phylogenomics to demonstrate that both the bees (Anthophila) and the Sphecidae arose from within the former Crabronidae, which is therefore paraphyletic, and which they suggested should be split into several families; the former family Heterogynaidae nests within the Bembicidae, as here defined. These findings differ in several details from studie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ampulicidae
The Ampulicidae, or cockroach wasps, are a small (about 170 species), primarily tropical family of sphecoid wasps, all of which use various cockroaches as prey for their larvae. They tend to have elongated jaws, pronounced neck-like constrictions behind the head, strongly petiolate abdomens, and deep grooves on the thorax. Many are quite ant-like in appearance, though some are brilliant metallic blue, green, and hot pink. Most species sting the roach more than once and in a specific way. The first sting is directed at nerve ganglia in the cockroach's thorax, temporarily paralyzing the victim for a few minutes - more than enough time for the wasp to deliver a second sting. The second sting is directed into a region of the cockroach's brain that controls the escape reflex, among other things. Piper, Ross (2007), ''Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals'', Greenwood Press. When the cockroach has recovered from the first sting, it makes no attempt to f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apoidea
The superfamily (zoology), superfamily Apoidea is a major group within the Hymenoptera, which includes two traditionally recognized lineages, the "sphecidae, sphecoid" wasps, and the bees. Molecular phylogeny demonstrates that the bees arose from within the traditional "Crabronidae", so that grouping is paraphyletic, and this has led to a reclassification to produce monophyletic families.Manuela Sann, Oliver Niehuis, Ralph S. Peters, Christoph Mayer, Alexey Kozlov, Lars Podsiadlowski, Sarah Bank, Karen Meusemann, Bernhard Misof, Christoph Bleidorn and Michael Ohl (2018) Phylogenomic analysis of Apoidea sheds new light on the sister group of bees. ''BMC Evolutionary Biology'' 18:71. doi:10.1186/s12862-018-1155-8 Nomenclature Bees appear in recent classifications to be a specialized lineage of "Crabronidae, crabronid" wasps that switched to the use of pollen and nectar as larval food, rather than insect prey; this makes the traditional "Crabronidae" a paraphyletic group. Accordingl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Preadaptation
Exaptation and the related term co-option describe a shift in the function of a trait during evolution. For example, a trait can evolve because it served one particular function, but subsequently it may come to serve another. Exaptations are common in both anatomy and behaviour. Bird feathers are a classic example. Initially they may have evolved for temperature regulation, but later were adapted for flight. When feathers were first used to aid in flight, that was an exaptive use. They have since then been shaped by natural selection to improve flight, so in their current state they are best regarded as adaptations for flight. So it is with many structures that initially took on a function as an exaptation: once molded for a new function, they become further adapted for that function. Interest in exaptation relates to both the process and products of evolution: the process that creates complex traits and the products (functions, anatomical structures, biochemicals, etc.) that may b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
