The Apocrita are 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 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 or in a nest cell provisioned by their mothers.
The superfamily Chrysidoidea is a very large cosmopolitan group, all of which are parasitoids or cleptoparasites of other insects. There are three large, common families and four small, rare families. Most species are small, almost never exceeding 15 mm. This superfamily is traditionally considered to be the basal taxon within the Aculeata, and, as such, some species can sting, though the venom is harmless to humans.
Aculeata is a subclade of Hymenoptera. The name is a reference to the defining feature of the group, which is the modification of the ovipositor into a sting. In other words, the structure that was originally used to lay eggs is modified instead to deliver venom. Not all members of the group can sting; a great many cannot, either because the ovipositor is modified in a different manner, or because it is lost altogether. A large part of the clade is parasitic.
Banksia aculeata, commonly known as prickly banksia, is a species of plant of the family Proteaceae native to the Stirling Range in the southwest of Western Australia. A shrub up to 2 m (7 ft) tall, it has dense foliage and leaves with very prickly serrated margins. Its unusual pinkish, pendent (hanging) flower spikes, known as inflorescences, are generally hidden in the foliage and appear during the early summer. Although it was collected by the naturalist James Drummond in the 1840s, Banksia aculeata was not formally described until 1981, by Alex George in his monograph of the genus.
The sawback angelshark is an angelshark of the family Squatinidae
The smoothback angelshark is an angelshark of the family Squatinidae found in the eastern Atlantic.
Zapoteca aculeata is a species of flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to Tunguragua-Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Barnadesia ciliata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. It has only been collected once, near Zaruma in El Oro Province in 1947. It is a shrub that grows in coastal foothill forest habitat. The area from which it was collected is undergoing habitat destruction.
Brahea aculeata is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. This palm tree is endemic to northwestern Mexico, where it is native to Durango, Sinaloa, and Sonora states. It is a vulnerable species, threatened by habitat loss.
Cryosophila is a genus of medium-sized fan palms that range from central Mexico to northern Colombia. Species in the genus can be readily distinguished from related genera by their distinctive downward-pointing spines on the stem, which are actually modified roots. They are known as the "root spine palms".
Macromia is a genus of large dragonflies in the family Macromiidae. They are commonly known as river cruisers from their habit of cruising long distances along river banks. Most species of Macromia occur in the tropical Australasian region, with one species being found in Europe , and a few species occurring in North America.
Barleria aculeata is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
Amauropelta aculeata, synonym Thelypteris aculeata, is a species of fern in the family Thelypteridaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Mauritiella is a dioecious genus of flowering plant in the palm family found in South America where it is commonly called buriti. It is named after the similar and closely related genus Mauritia.
Pereskia aculeata is a scrambling shrub in the family Cactaceae. Common names include Barbados gooseberry, blade-apple cactus, leaf cactus, rose cactus, and lemonvine. It is native to tropical America. The leaves and fruits are edible, containing high quantities of protein, iron and other nutrients, and it is a popular vegetable in parts of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais under the name of ora-pro-nóbis.
Hakea aculeata, commonly known as the column hakea, is a vulnerable species of the family Proteaceae found in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. An unusual sculptural species with dense columns of prickly foliage and plentiful clusters of strongly scented blooms in spring.
Seriatopora aculeata is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Pocilloporidae. It forms a bushy clump. It is native to the Central Indo-Pacific and the Oceanic West Pacific. Its range includes the Philippines, the Great Barrier Reef, Fiji, Indonesia, the Coral Sea, southern Madagascar and Vanuatu. It grows in shallow reef environments, at depths down to about 40 metres (130 ft). It is an uncommon species and subject to coral diseases and bleaching. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed the conservation status of this species as being "vulnerable".
Petrophile aculeata is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to southwestern Western Australia. It is a small shrub with narrow egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base and with irregular teeth near the end, and more or less spherical heads of hairy yellow flowers.
Bombus vandykei, the Van Dyke's bumble bee, is a species of bumble bees in the family Apidae. It is found in North America.
