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Order Hymenoptera - Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies
Classification Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes for the latest arrangement, see (1)
The higher taxonomy of Hymenoptera is in flux, so several traditional, artificial major groupings are retained for convenience both in the guide and many other sources. Recent advances in higher taxonomy summarized in (2)(3)(4). Explanation of Names Hymenoptera Linnaeus 1758
'membranous wing'
wasp: Old English waesp, waefs, cognate with the Latin vespa; bee goes back to the onomatopoetic Indo-European bhī 'bee'
Numbers ca. 18,000 spp. in >2000 genera in our area (5)(6); worldwide, >153,000 spp. described (132 families, 8423 genera) (1) and ~1,000,000 estimated (2) (up to 3M, according to some workers)
Families represented in our area
Artificial/non-monophyletic groups names appear in "quotes"; taxa not yet in the guide marked (*).
Symphyta
"Symphyta" (superfamilies not used in the guide)
Superfamily Xyeloidea: Xyelidae
Superfamily Pamphilioidea: Pamphiliidae
Superfamily Cephoidea: Cephidae
Superfamily Siricoidea: Anaxyelidae · Siricidae
Superfamily Xiphydrioidea: Xiphydriidae
Superfamily Orussoidea: Orussidae
Apocrita
Size 0.2‒115 mm, typically 2‒30 mm (5)Identification Characteristics based on (5)(7):
Typically two pairs of wings, with forewings larger, but some groups (such as ants) wingless in most life stages.
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 for defense.
Chewing mouthparts, but some groups have a "tongue" used for lapping up fluids, such as nectar.
Several groups highly social ( eusocial), with separate reproductive and worker castes.
Excellent manual for identification (down to subfamily level): (8)
OVERVIEW OF HIGHER TAXA =NEEDS TO BE ALIGNED WITH CURRENT TAXONOMY=
Family Argidae - Argid Sawflies
Family Cephidae - Stem Sawflies
 ♀ 
Family Cimbicidae - Cimbicid Sawflies
Family Diprionidae - Conifer Sawflies
Family Orussidae - Parasitic Wood Wasps
  ♂
Family Pamphiliidae - Webspinning and Leafrolling Sawflies
Family Xiphydriidae - Xiphydriid Wood Wasps
 ♀ 
Family Stephanidae - Stephanid Wasps
 ♀  ♂
 ♀ 
 ♀  ♂
Family Pelecinidae - Pelecinid Wasps
 ♀  ♂
Family Proctotrupidae - Proctotrupid Wasps
 ♀ 
 ♀  ♂
 ♀ 
 ♀  ♂
 winged female  wingless female
Family Encyrtidae - Encyrtid Wasps
  ♂
 ♀  ♂
  ♀
Family Pteromalidae - Pteromalid Wasps
 ♀  ♂
Family Braconidae - Braconid Wasps
Family Ichneumonidae - Ichneumonid Wasps
Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps
Apoidea - Bees and Apoid Wasps
Ampulicidae - Cockroach wasps
Sphecidae - Thread waisted 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
Bethylidae - Bethylid Wasps
Dryinidae - Dryinid Wasps
Embolemidae - Embolemid Wasps
Family Sapygidae - Sapygid Wasps
Family Scoliidae - Scoliid Wasps
Family Chyphotidae - Chyphotid Wasps
Family Thynnidae - Thynnid Wasps
Family Sierolomorphidae - Sierolomorphid Wasps
Family Tiphiidae - Tiphiid Wasps
Family Rhopalosomatidae - Rhopalosomatid Wasps
Family Vespidae - Yellowjackets, Paper Wasps, and Hornets; Potter, Mason and Pollen Wasps
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). 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 some groups, young are provisioned by the adults; in many groups larvae are parasitoids of other insects. Sawfly larvae feed on plants. See Also wasps/bees are mimicked by members of several insect orders, spiders, &c.
Works Cited | 1. | Order Hymenoptera. In: Zhang Z-Q (ed) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classif. and survey of taxonomic richness
Aguiar AP, Deans AR, Engel MS, Forshage M, Huber JT, Jennings JT, Johnson NF, Lelej AS, Longino JT, Lohrmann V, Mikó I, Ohl M. 2013. Zootaxa 3703: 51–62. | |
| 2. | Phylogeny and classification of Hymenoptera
Sharkey M.J. 2007. Zootaxa 1668: 521–548. | |
| 3. | Phylogenetic relationships among superfamilies of Hymenoptera
Sharkey M.J., Carpenter J.M., Vilhelmsen L., et al. 2012. Cladistics 28: 80―112. | |
| 4. | Evolutionary history of the Hymenoptera
Peters et al. 2017. Current Biology 27: 1–6. | |
| 6. | Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico
Karl V. Krombein, Paul D. Hurd, Jr., David R. Smith, and B. D. Burks. 1979. Smithsonian Institution Press. | |
| 8. | Hymenoptera of the world: an identification guide to families
Goulet H., Huber J., eds. 1993. Agriculture Canada Publication 1894/E. 668 pp. | |
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm Additional contributions by cotinis, john and jane balaban, Beatriz Moisset, Chris Wirth, Chuck Entz, waspGeorge, NFensler, Aaron Schusteff, Ron M., v belov, KenW, Marci Hess, PaleoJon, Arturo Santos, Nathaniel GreenLast updated 3 August, 2024 - 6:46pm |
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