Last instar larva of Microstigmus nigrophthalmus Melo (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae, Pemphredoninae), with notes on biology

Buys, Sandor Christiano

doi:10.1590/S0101-81752002000300004

Abstract

The last instar larva of Microstigmus nigrophthalmus Melo, 1992 is described. It markedly differs from that of M. comes Krombein, 1967 the only other species in the genus whose mature larva have been described, for features as follows: presence of spinnerets; setae on the labrum, maxillae and labium; mandibles with tridentate apex and a bidentate lateral projection; lack of the conical supranal processo Notes on habitat, structure, and content of nests are also presented.

Microstigmus nigrophthalmus; sphecoid wasp; morphology; larva; biology; behaviour; Brazil

Last instar larva of Microstigmus nigrophthalmus Melo (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae, Pemphredoninae), with notes on biology

Sandor Christiano Buys

Laboratório de Entomologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Caixa Postal 68044, 21944-970 Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

ABSTRACT

The last instar larva of Microstigmus nigrophthalmus Melo, 1992 is described. It markedly differs from that of M. comes Krombein, 1967 the only other species in the genus whose mature larva have been described, for features as follows: presence of spinnerets; setae on the labrum, maxillae and labium; mandibles with tridentate apex and a bidentate lateral projection; lack of the conical supranal processo Notes on habitat, structure, and content of nests are also presented.

Key words:Microstigmus nigrophthalmus, sphecoid wasp, morphology, larva, biology, behaviour, Brazil

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. I thank Cinara Silva and Marcello Giffoni for helping to collect the wasps and their nests and Márcio Félix, Alexandre Rosas, and two anonymous referees for comments on the manuscript.

Received in 03.VIII.2001; accepted in 15.VII.2002.

EVANS, H.E. & R.W. MATTHEWS. 1968. The larva of Microstigmus comes, with comments on its relationship to other genera (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae). Psyche 75 (2): 132-134.
EVANS, H.E & C.S. LIN. 1956. Studies on the larvae of digger wasps (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). Part I. Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 81: 131-153.
MATTHEWS, R.W. 1968. Microstigmus comes: sociality in a sphecid wasp Science 160: 787-788.
MELO, G.A.R. 1992. Duas novas espécies de Microstigmus Ducke, 1907 (Hyrnenoptera, Sphecidae). Revta bras. Ent. 36 (3): 663-670.
MELO, G.A.R. & H.E. EVANS. 1993. Two new Microstigmus species (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae), with description of their parasite, Goniozus microstigmi sp. n. (Hyrnenoptera, Bethylidae). Proc. Entomol. Soc. Wash. 92 (2): 258-263.
MELO, G.A.R. & R.W. MATTHEWS. 1997. Six new species of Microstigmus wasps (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae), with notes on biology. Jour. Nat. Hist. 31: 421-437.
MICHENER, C.D. 1953. Comparative morphological and systematic studies of the bees larvae with a key to the families of hymenopterous larvae. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 35: 987-1102.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
15 May 2009
Date of issue
Sept 2002

History

Accepted
15 July 2002
Received
03 Aug 2001

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] EVANS, H.E. & R.W. MATTHEWS. 1968. The larva of Microstigmus comes, with comments on its relationship to other genera (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae). Psyche 75 (2): 132-134.

[2] EVANS, H.E & C.S. LIN. 1956. Studies on the larvae of digger wasps (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). Part I. Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 81: 131-153.

[3] MATTHEWS, R.W. 1968. Microstigmus comes: sociality in a sphecid wasp Science 160: 787-788.

[4] MELO, G.A.R. 1992. Duas novas espécies de Microstigmus Ducke, 1907 (Hyrnenoptera, Sphecidae). Revta bras. Ent. 36 (3): 663-670.

[5] MELO, G.A.R. & H.E. EVANS. 1993. Two new Microstigmus species (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae), with description of their parasite, Goniozus microstigmi sp. n. (Hyrnenoptera, Bethylidae). Proc. Entomol. Soc. Wash. 92 (2): 258-263.

[6] MELO, G.A.R. & R.W. MATTHEWS. 1997. Six new species of Microstigmus wasps (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae), with notes on biology. Jour. Nat. Hist. 31: 421-437.

[7] MICHENER, C.D. 1953. Comparative morphological and systematic studies of the bees larvae with a key to the families of hymenopterous larvae. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 35: 987-1102.