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BugGuide Gathering
Smoky Mountains
University of Tennessee Biological Field Station
August 8-10, 2008
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Photos from the last gathering (Minnesota 2007)

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Order Hymenoptera - Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies

Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
Explanation of Names
From Greek, hymen, membrane, plus pteron (a), wing.
Numbers
Insects of Cedar Creek states there are over 70 families and about 18,000 species in North America.
Arnett (1) gives a figure of 17,777 species, 2034 genera for North America.
Identification
Typically two pairs of wings, with forewings usually larger than hindwings, but some groups (such as ants) wingless in most life stages
Wings have few cross-veins, these are angled to form closed cells
Antennae typically with 10 or more segments. Often 13 segments in male, 12 in female, but sometimes as few as 3 or up to 60 segments.
Antennae longer than head, but usually not highly elongated (longer than head and thorax combined). Highly elongated in some parasitic groups.
Females have prominent ovipositor, modified in some groups to be a "stinger", used to paralyze prey and in defense
Chewing mouthparts, but some groups have a "tongue" used for lapping up fluids, such as nectar
Complete metamorphosis
Several groups higly social (eusocial), with separate reproductive and worker castes


OVERVIEW OF FAMILIES


Family Siricidae - Horntails


Family Pamphiliidae - Webspinning and Leafrolling Sawflies


Family Argidae - Argid Sawflies


Family Tenthredinidae - Common Sawflies


Family Cimbicidae - Cimbicid Sawflies


Family Orussidae - Parasitic Wood Wasps


Family Diprionidae - Conifer Sawflies




Family Xiphydriidae - Xiphydriid Wood Wasps


Family Cephidae - Stem Sawflies


No Taxon Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps


Family Andrenidae - Mining Bees



Family Apidae - Cuckoo, Carpenter, Digger, Bumble, and Honey Bees




Family Colletidae - Plasterer Bees, Masked or Yellow-faced Bees


Family Halictidae - Sweat Bees



Family Megachilidae - Leaf-cutter bees, Mason Bees, and allies



Family Melittidae - Melittid Bees


No Taxon Apoid Wasps (Apoidea) - traditional Sphecidae

Ampulicidae - Cockroach wasps





Sphecidae - Thread waisted wasps



Superfamily Chrysidoidea - Cuckoo Wasps and Allies



Family Chrysididae - Cuckoo Wasps


Dryinidae - Dryinids



Family Bradynobaenidae - Bradynobaenid Wasps




Family Mutillidae – Velvet Ants


Family Pompilidae – Spider Wasps


Family Rhopalosomatidae - Rhopalosomatid Wasps
Image needed

Family Sapygidae - Sapygid Wasps


Family Scoliidae - Scoliid Wasps


Family Sierolomorphidae - Sierolomorphid Wasps


Family Tiphiidae - Tiphiid Wasps


Family Vespidae - Yellowjackets, Paper Wasps, and Hornets; Potter, Mason and Pollen Wasps


















Family Proctotrupidae - Proctotrupids






Family Stephanidae - Stephanid Wasps







Family Agaonidae - Fig wasps
images needed



Family Chalcididae - Chalcid Wasps


images needed



















Family Pteromalidae - Pteromalids







Family Cynipidae - Gall Wasps






Family Ibaliidae - Ibaliid Wasps



Superfamily Evanioidea - Aulacids, Ensigns, and Gasteruptiids



Family Evaniidae - Ensign Wasps




Superfamily Ichneumonoidea - Braconids and Ichneumons

Family Braconidae - Braconid Wasps



Family Ichneumonidae - Ichneumon Wasps


Habitat
Varied. Many adults are found on flowers.
Food
Many groups are predatory, feeding their young with meat, usually of other insects. Some groups provision their young with pollen, and many adults take nectar.
Life Cycle
Complete metamorphosis (holometabolus). Life cycle has egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Some larvae (such as sawflies) are caterpillar-like, most are grub-like, lacking legs.
Males usually develop from unfertilized eggs in this order, a feature of their biology which likely contributed to the evolution of sociality independently in several groups.
In many groups, young are provisioned by the adults, however in many groups the larvae are parasitoids (predatory parasites) of other insects. Larvae of sawflies feed on plants, and these are believed to be a basal group, linking hymenoptera with related orders, such as Lepidoptera. Predatory, provisioning, and parasitoid life-styles are believed to have evolved in groups descended from plant-feeding (as larvae) hymenoptera.
Remarks
Ordinarily, Hymenoptera stings will only cause local pain and swelling.
However, some individuals may be allergic to Hymenoptera stings. An allergic reaction to Hymenoptera stings occurs once the victim becomes sensitized to the venom from a previous sting. The allergic reaction is caused by the immune system, which has now been oversensitized to the venom and releases histamines into the bloodstream. Histamines dilate blood capillaries, causing the skin to appear red and feel warm, and also make the capillaries more permeable, which allows fluid to escape into the tissues. This causes swelling, which is manifested as rapidly appearing hives, accompanied by severe itching. In a severe allergic reaction called anaphylactic shock, the tissues of the throat swell and the victim may have difficulty breathing and, unless promptly treated, death may result
See Also
Many flies (diptera) mimic hymenoptera, and some are extremely convincing.
Internet References
Zootaxa Phylogeny and Classification of Hymenoptera. 2007
University of California Riverside Extensive information on Hymenoptera.
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