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They are most diverse in desert regions of the world, as they are typically associated with solitary bee and wasp species, which are also most diverse in such areas. Their brood parasitic lifestyle has led to the evolution of fascinating adaptations, including chemical mimicry of host odors by some species.
The wasps, bees, and ants together make up the suborder (and clade) Apocrita, characterized by a constriction between the first and second abdominal segments called a wasp-waist , also involving the fusion of the first abdominal segment to the thorax. Also, the larvae of all Apocrita lack legs, prolegs, or ocelli.
They are a successful and diverse group of insects with tens of thousands of described species; wasps have spread to all parts of the world except for the polar regions. The largest social wasp is the Asian giant hornet , at up to 5 centimetres (2.0 in) in length; among the largest solitary wasps is a group of species known as tarantula hawks ...
Palaeovespa florissantia, late Eocene. The Vespidae are a large (nearly 5000 species), diverse, cosmopolitan family of wasps, including nearly all the known eusocial wasps (such as Polistes fuscatus, Vespa orientalis, and Vespula germanica) and many solitary wasps. [1]
The extinct family of Armaniidae also was formerly considered to be a group of "ant-like wasps" and was also classified under Vespoidea. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] However, additional work by Borysenko in 2017 found these species to be basal members of Formicidae , placing three genera under Sphecomyrminae and considering the rest incertae sedis .
Vespula vulgaris, known as the common wasp, is a species found in regions that include the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, India, China, New Zealand [1] and Australia. It is sometimes known in English as the European wasp, but the same name is used for the species Vespula germanica or German wasp.
Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids , they lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods , sooner or later causing the death of these hosts .
The adult wasp can measure from 0.9 to 5.0 mm in length and in some cases can reach 13 mm. [5] The body of the adult wasp has a 'waist' where it is constricted in the middle. The rear legs have spurs which may be used for grooming. The antennae have 10 segments.