Affiliation:
1. Institute of BiologyTaras Shevchenko National University of KyivUkraine
Abstract
The solitary digger wasp Oxybelus uniglumis (Linnaeus, 1758) uses its sting not only for paralyzing prey but also for transporting the prey to the nest site. The sting morphology is expected to reflect the mechanical overloading applied to the sting during prey transportation. In this paper, we provide a detailed description of the sting skeleton of Oxybelus uniglumis and define specific morphological characters in order to reveal possible morphological predictions for conducting specific prey-carriage behaviour. The most important features are the following: (1) In contrast to all other known Apoidea, Oxybelus uniglumis has a single (instead of double) valvillus; (2) There are no distinct borders between the rostral process and the 2nd valvula, so the valvula is relatively strongly articulated to the basal elements of the sting; (3) The internal skeleton exhibits intraspecific variation, which has not previously been recorded for Hymenoptera. Results are discussed from a functional standpoint.
Subject
Insect Science,Ecology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Cited by
14 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献