Deuteragenia ossarium
| Deuteragenia ossarium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Suborder: | Apocrita |
| Family: | Pompilidae |
| Genus: | Deuteragenia |
| Species: | D. ossarium |
| Binomial name | |
| Deuteragenia ossarium Ohl, 2014 | |
Deuteragenia ossarium, the Bone-house Wasp, is a species of pompilid wasp discovered in south-east China in 2014. It was named after graveyard bone-houses or ossuaries, from its characteristic use of a vestibular cell filled with dead ants which is built by the female wasp to close the nest after she lays her eggs.[1][2]
This technique is theorized to make the species' nests less vulnerable to predatory enemies than nests of other sympatric trap-nesting wasps, possibly by utilizing chemical cues in odors from the dead ants to camouflage the nest from predators, or repel them.[1]
The ant most frequently found in the vestibular cell was Pachycondyla astuta, an aggressive species with a potent sting.[2] D. ossarium parasitism rates were significantly lower than other cavity-nesting wasp species.[1]
In 2015, the International Institute for Species Exploration names it as "Top 10 New Species" for new species discovered in 2014.[3][4]
References
- 1 2 3 Staab, Michael; Ohl, Michael; Zhu, Chao-Dong; Klein, Alexandra-Maria; Nascimento, Fabio S. (2014). "A Unique Nest-Protection Strategy in a New Species of Spider Wasp". PLoS ONE 9 (7): e101592. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0101592.
- 1 2 Megan Gannon, News Editor, LiveScience: Newfound Wasp Literally Has Skeletons in Its Closet, http://news.yahoo.com/newfound-wasp-literally-skeletons-closet-190118261.html, July 2, 2014.
- ↑ "The ESF Top 10 New Species for 2015". State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- ↑ Berenson, Tessa (21 May 2015). "These Are the Top 10 New Species Discovered Last Year". Time. Retrieved 13 November 2015.