Dielis tejensis | |
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Male Dielis tejensis seen at flower in Burleson County, Texas. | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Scoliidae |
Genus: | Dielis |
Species: | D. tejensis |
Binomial name | |
Dielis tejensis Szafranski, 2023 | |
Dielis tejensis is a species of scoliid wasp. It is endemic to Texas. [1]
The specific epithet comes from the latinized form of "Tejas", the Spanish name for Texas. [1]
The species is only known from male specimens and was described in 2023 based on genetic differences to other Dielis species. It is chromatically distinguished from the males of all other North American species of the tribe Campsomerini (except for D. pillipies) by having five stripes along its abdomen rather than four. [1]
As with most species of scoliid wasps, it is thought to parasitize soil-inhabiting Scarabaeoidea beetle grubs. However, the exact host for its larva is currently unknown. [1]
Dielis tejensis is currently only known from Texas from the gulf coast west to Kent county. [1]
The Mutillidae are a family of more than 7,000 species of wasps whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Their common name velvet ant refers to their resemblance to an ant, and their dense pile of hair, which most often is bright scarlet or orange, but may also be black, white, silver, or gold. Their bright colors serve as aposematic signals. They are known for their extremely painful stings,, and has resulted in the common name "cow killer" or "cow ant" being applied to the species Dasymutilla occidentalis. However, mutillids are not aggressive and sting only in defense. In addition, the actual toxicity of their venom is much lower than that of honey bees or harvester ants. Unlike true ants, they are solitary, and lack complex social systems.
The Scoliidae, the scoliid wasps, are a family of wasps comprising about 560 species worldwide. They tend to be black, often marked with yellow or orange, and their wing tips are distinctively corrugated. Males are more slender and elongated than females, with significantly longer antennae, but the sexual dimorphism is not as apparent as in many of the Tiphiidae and Thynnidae.
Paper wasps are vespid wasps and typically refers to members of the vespid subfamily Polistinae, though it often colloquially includes members of the subfamilies Vespinae and Stenogastrinae, discussed elsewhere, which also make nests out of paper. Paper wasp nests are characterized by open combs with down pointing cells. Some types of paper wasps are also sometimes called umbrella wasps, due to the distinctive design of their nests.
Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary, and most capture and paralyze prey, though members of the subfamily Ceropalinae are kleptoparasites of other pompilids, or ectoparasitoids of living spiders.
Vespoidea is a superfamily of wasps in the order Hymenoptera. Vespoidea includes wasps with a large variety of lifestyles including eusocial, social, and solitary habits, predators, scavengers, parasitoids, and some herbivores.
The Atlas beetle is a very large species of beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, found in Southeast Asia. Males have three prominent horns. The species is named for Atlas, the giant of Greek mythology who supported the skies.
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. The wasps do not constitute a clade, a complete natural group with a single ancestor, as bees and ants are deeply nested within the wasps, having evolved from wasp ancestors. Wasps that are members of the clade Aculeata can sting their prey.
Dasymutilla occidentalis is a species of parasitoid wasp native to the eastern United States. It is commonly mistaken for a member of the true ant family, as the female is wingless. The species ranges from Connecticut to Kansas in the north and Florida to Texas in the south.
Scolia dubia, also known as the two-spotted scoliid wasp or a blue-winged scoliid wasp, is a species in the family Scoliidae.
Austroscolia soror is a species of scoliid wasp and a common insect found in eastern Australia. This is one of several Australian species collectively referred to as a blue flower wasp, black flower wasp, or blue hairy flower wasp.
Dasyscolia ciliata is a species of scoliid wasp found throughout the Mediterranean. It is the only species in the genus Dasycolia. It is the only known pollinator of the European Ophrys speculum. The male wasp is tricked into pollinating the Ophrys orchid by mimicking the female wasp in appearance and scent.
Dielis trifasciata, also known as the three-banded scoliid wasp, is a species in the family Scoliidae.
Dielis is a New World genus of the family Scoliidae, also known as the scoliid wasps, formerly treated as a subgenus within Campsomeris.
Campsomerini is a cosmopolitan tribe of the family Scoliidae. An older, alternative representation of this group is as a subfamily, Campsomerinae.
Dielis plumipes, the feather-legged scoliid wasp, is a species of scoliid wasp in the family Scoliidae.
Dielis dorsata, the Caribbean scoliid wasp, is a species of scoliid wasp in the family Scoliidae.
Dielis pilipes, the hairy-footed scoliid wasp, is a species of scoliid wasp in the family Scoliidae.
Triscolia ardens is a species of wasp in the family Scoliidae. It is the sole member of its genus found in North America outside of Mexico.
Scolia carbonaria is a species of wasp in the family Scoliidae.
Dielis tolteca, the Toltec scoliid wasp, is a species of hymenopteran in the family Scoliidae. It is commonly found on plants in the genus Solidago.