Aculeata

 ( Apocrita ) 

Aculeata is an infraorder of Hymenoptera containing , , and stinging wasps. The name is a reference to the defining feature of the group, which is the modification of the ovipositor into a stinger. However, many members of the group cannot sting, either retaining the ovipositor, or having lost it altogether. A large part of the clade is parasitic wasp.

This group includes all of the eusocial .

The oldest aculeates are known from the Late Jurassic Karabastau Formation of Kazakhstan, represented by the family Bethylonymidae, which may be Paraphyly or Polyphyly.

---

Classification The use of the name Aculeata has a long history at the rank of infraorder or division. The Aculeata are a Monophyly, or good natural group, containing all the descendants of a single common ancestor. The Aculeata are therefore maintained as a taxon, either at infraorder or division rank or as an unranked clade.

---

External links

• Tree of Life Web Project: Aculeata
• [2] Bugguide.net: Aculeata
• Johnson, B. et al. Phylogenomics resolves evolutionary relationships among ants, bees, and wasps. NCBI

Post Comment