Husbandry and display of the Jewel wasp: <i>Ampulex compressa</i> and its potential value in destroying cockroaches

Veltman, J.; Wilhelm, Walter E.

doi:10.1111/j.1748-1090.1991.tb03473.x

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…One of their most popular representatives is the “emerald cockroach wasp” or “jewel wasp”, Ampulex compressa , which is frequently bred in captivity due to its showy metallic coloration and attractive behaviour as a cockroach parasite (e.g. Veltmann and Wilhelm, 1991). In recent years, A. compressa has attracted particular interest by behavioural and physiological biologists, because its sting is unusual (e.g.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A cladistic analysis of the cockroach wasps based on morphological data (Hymenoptera: Ampulicidae)

Ohl

Spahn²

2010

Cladistics

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The Ampulicidae are one of the most basal groups within the apoid wasps, the paraphyletic assemblage of wasps previously known as Sphecidae. The morphology and taxonomy of the Ampulicidae are poorly studied, and there is no strict cladistic approach on their phylogeny yet. Here we assemble morphological characters of phylogenetic significance and submit them to parsimony analyses using modern cladistic methods. This produces a well-resolved and firmly supported phylogenetic hypothesis on the generic relationships within the group. Based on our phylogenetic results a revised classification is provided, subdividing the Ampulicidae into two monophyletic subfamilies, Ampulicinae (Ampulex and Trirogma) and Dolichurinae, the latter comprising two monophyletic tribes, Dolichurini (Dolichurus and Paradolichurus) and Aphelotomini, new tribe (Aphelotoma and Riekefella). Based on the resulting cladogram, the historical biogeography and the fossil record of Ampulicidae are briefly discussed.

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confidence: 99%

A cladistic analysis of the cockroach wasps based on morphological data (Hymenoptera: Ampulicidae)

Ohl

Spahn²

2010

Cladistics

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“…With more than 130 species, the genus Ampulex is the largest genus in the Ampulicidae [21]. One of its representatives is Ampulex compressa (Fabricius, 1781), which has become popular for successfully being cultured in zoos and privately [22]. Its popularity is due to its relatively large body size, beautiful metallic coloration and easily observable and attractive prey stinging and nesting behavior [23].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Soul-Sucking Wasp by Popular Acclaim – Museum Visitor Participation in Biodiversity Discovery and Taxonomy

et al. 2014

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Taxonomy, the science of describing and naming of the living world, is recognized as an important and relevant field in modern biological science. While there is wide agreement on the importance of a complete inventory of all organisms on Earth, the public is partly unaware of the amount of known and unknown biodiversity. Out of the enormous number of undescribed (but already recognized) species in natural history museum collections, we selected an attractive example of a wasp, which was presented to museum visitors at a special museum event. We asked 300 visitors to vote on a name for the new species and out of four preselected options, Ampulex dementor Ohl n. sp. was selected. The name, derived from the ‘soul sucking’ dementors from the popular Harry Potter books is an allusion to the wasps' behavior to selectively paralyze its cockroach prey. In this example, public voting on a scientific name has been shown to be an appropriate way to link museum visitors emotionally to biodiversity and its discovery.

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“…After the cockroach is subdued, the wasp clips the antennae at precise locations with buzzsaw actions of its mandibles, then commences to drink hemolymph, using the antennal stumps as straws (Piek et al 1984) (video 1:45). The wasp leads the stung cockroach into its burrow by grasping the truncated antennae (Veltman and Wilhelm 1991) and proceeds to lay a single egg on a mesothoracic leg of the host, then entombs it by sealing the burrow entrance with miscellaneous debris (Williams 1942). This provides the young wasp larva with a fresh food supply during its development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life History of the Emerald Jewel Wasp Ampulex compressa

Arvidson¹,

Landa²,

Frankenberg³

et al. 2018

JHR

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The Emerald Jewel Wasp Ampulexcompressa (Fabricius) is an endoparasitoid of the American cockroach Periplanetaamericana (Linnaeus). Its host subjugation strategy is unusual in that envenomation is directed into the host central nervous system, eliciting a long-term behavior modification termed hypokinesia, turning stung cockroaches into a lethargic and compliant, but not paralyzed, living food supply for wasp offspring. A.compressa manipulates hypokinesic cockroaches into a burrow, where it oviposits a single egg onto a mesothoracic leg, hatching three days later. Herein we describe the life history and developmental timing of A.compressa. Using head capsule measurements and observations of mandibular morphology, we found that the larvae develop through three instars, the first two ectoparasitoid, and the third exclusively endoparasitoid. The first two instars have mandibles sufficient for piercing and cutting the cuticle respectively, while the third instar has a larger and blunter mandibular structure. During ecdysis to the third instar, the larva enters the body cavity of the cockroach, consuming internal tissues selectively, including fat body and skeletal muscle, but sparing the gut and Malpighian tubules. The developmental timing to pupation is similar between males and females, but cocoon volume and mass, and pupation duration are sexually dimorphic. Further, we show that the difference in cocoon mass and volume can be used to predict sex before eclosion, which is valuable for studies in venom pharmacology, as only females produce venom.

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Husbandry and display of the Jewel wasp: Ampulex compressa and its potential value in destroying cockroaches

Cited by 11 publications

References 5 publications

A cladistic analysis of the cockroach wasps based on morphological data (Hymenoptera: Ampulicidae)

A cladistic analysis of the cockroach wasps based on morphological data (Hymenoptera: Ampulicidae)

The Soul-Sucking Wasp by Popular Acclaim – Museum Visitor Participation in Biodiversity Discovery and Taxonomy

Life History of the Emerald Jewel Wasp Ampulex compressa

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