www.small-beings.org
www.small-beings.org
Die Taillenwespen (Apocrita), auch Schnürwespen genannt, sind eine der beiden Unterordnungen der Hautflügler (Hymenoptera). Sie umfassen die beiden Gruppen der Legimmen (Parasitica oder Terebrantes), bei denen die meisten Arten ihren Legebohrer zur Eiablage nutzen, und die Stechimmen oder Aculeata, bei denen dieser zu einem Wehrstachel umgestaltet worden ist. Während die Stechimmen eine abgeschlossene Abstammungsgruppe bilden, werden die Legimmen als ursprüngliche Gruppe betrachtet und bilden entsprechend kein aktuell gültiges Taxon.
Die Hautflügler umfassen über 150.000 Arten, wobei die Taillenwespen den größten Anteil ausmachen. Es wird vermutet, dass es noch viele unentdeckte Arten gibt. Die Größe und Flügelspannweite der Taillenwespen variiert stark, von winzigen Zehrwespen bis zu großen Hornissen. Typisch für Taillenwespen ist die parasitoide Lebensweise der Larven. Es gibt auch hochentwickelte, staatenbildende Familien, wie Ameisen, Wespen und Bienen. Die Systematik der Taillenwespen ist komplex, mit verschiedenen Überfamilien und Familien.
Apocrita is a suborder of insects in the order Hymenoptera. It includes wasps, bees, and ants, and consists of many families. It contains the most advanced hymenopterans and is distinguished from Symphyta by the narrow “waist” (petiole) formed between the first two segments of the actual abdomen; the first abdominal segment is fused to the thorax, and is called the propodeum. Therefore, it is general practice, when discussing the body of an apocritan in a technical sense, to refer to the mesosoma and metasoma (or gaster) rather than the “thorax” and “abdomen”, respectively. The evolution of a constricted waist was an important adaption for the parasitoid lifestyle of the ancestral apocritan, allowing more maneuverability of the female’s ovipositor. The ovipositor either extends freely or is retracted, and may be developed into a stinger for both defense and paralyzing prey. Larvae are legless and blind, and either feed inside a host (plant or animal) or in a nest cell provisioned by their mothers. Apocrita has historically been split into two groups, Parasitica and Aculeata. Aculeata is a clade whose name is in standard use. “Parasitica” is not a clade, as it is paraphyletic: the clade would contain the Aculeata. “Parasitica” is therefore a rankless grouping in many present classifications, if it appears at all. Parasitica comprises the majority of hymenopteran insects, its members living as parasitoids. Most species are small, with the ovipositor adapted for piercing. In some hosts, the parasitoids induce metamorphosis prematurely, and in others it is prolonged. There are even species that are hyperparasites, or parasitoids on other parasitoids. The Parasitica lay their eggs inside or on another insect (egg, larva or pupa) and their larvae grow and develop within or on that host. The host is nearly always killed. Many parasitic hymenopterans are used as biological control agents to control pests, such as caterpillars, true bugs and hoppers, flies, and weevils.Aculeata is a monophyletic group that includes those species in which the female’s ovipositor is modified into a stinger to inject venom. Groups within Aculeata include the familiar ants, bees, and various types of parasitic and predatory wasps; it also includes all of the social hymenopterans. Among the nonparasitic and nonsocial Aculeata, larvae are fed with captured prey (typically alive and paralyzed) or may be fed pollen and nectar. The social Aculeata feed their young prey (paper wasps and hornets), or pollen and nectar (bees), or perhaps seeds, fungi, or nonviable eggs (ants).
The summary provides a list of different families and superfamilies within the insect order Apocrita, specifically focusing on bees, wasps, and ants. It mentions that some traditional taxa have been found to be paraphyletic on molecular analysis. The phylogenetic tree of the Apocrita is not fully resolved, but it gives an overview of the major groups within the order. The summary also provides external links for further information and images of these insect species.