ipl-logo

Sphecoid Wasps Essay

3949 Words16 Pages

Introduction
Among all the animals living on earth, insects are the most diverse. They are found in all habitats such as deserts, forests, swamps and even the pools of crude petroleum (Imms, 1964).The number of insects exceeds all other animals and this due to the undeniable fact that they are able to adapt themselves to any kind of environment. The evolution of flight in insect is regarded as the significant breakthrough in the history of Earth. They were the first to dominate the air even before other terrestrial animals and also the time taken for diversification go beyond other organisms which all together lead to their dominance across the planet.
Most of the insects are considered important to human beings and the environment as they …show more content…

Sphecidae constitutes a varied group of solitary wasps that show diversity in their morphological and biological characters. Solitary wasps are also called as sand wasps, digger wasps and ground nesting wasps. They are not as famous as honeybees, paper wasps and bumblebees as their biology has been less studied. Due to their predatory nature, they form the representative of one of the diverse members of the arthropod community in their habitats as they prey upon various insects and spiders. Some members of the Family Sphecidae are called as “Thread-Waisted Wasps” since they have a thin petiole followed by a long, thin abdomen. They measure about an inch long in average and have orange on their abdomens. They are commonly called as sand wasp or digger wasp. Sphecids mostly dig the ground for their nests. Prey paralysis and provisioning of nest is a common feature. The female constructs a nest by digging the sand which is provisioned by paralyzed larva. Eventually a single egg is laid on the paralyzed prey by the female wasp. The emerging larva of the parasitoid grows at the expense of the host prey but the adult wasps feed chiefly on nectar from flowers and plant

Open Document