Hymenoptera Classifies Insects With Married Pair Of Flight-Wings
In biology and zoology, Hymenoptera is an order in the Animal Kingdom. It’s a vast topic to indulge in. What we will do here is an introduction to the Order Hymenoptera.
So, let’s get “As busy as a bee” and work ourselves into the world of winged-insects:
1. Discovered by Carl Linnaeus (known as Father of Taxonomy) in 1758 was the third-largest order in the animal kingdom, Hymenoptera or the categorized order of Insects.
2. Order includes bees, wasps, ants, sawflies, and thousands of extinct or are lesser-known species.
3. Species can be solitary or social. They might be carnivorous, omnivorous, or phytophagous. They might or might not be parasitic.
4. Although the source is unknown, all studies agree that ‘Hymenoptera’ means ‘Membranous Wings’. It is said that the term is made from Greek words “pteron + hymen,” (meaning “wing + membrane”).
- A lesser-accepted study also explores that the term is obtained from “Hymen” (Ancient Greek God of Marriage). The symbol refers to the pair of wings Hymenoptera has.
6. Key feature of these winged insects is that their hind and fore wings are attached with consecutive hooks.
- What do Hymenopterans look like?
- From tiny to large, these insects come in all sizes. They usually have membrane-like wings (with usually very few veins).
- The hindwing has ‘hamuli’ or angled hair.
- They have big eyes (usually written as ‘large compound eyes’), three in number (said as ocelli).
- These have Mandibles (mouthparts/jaw) to chew and bite/suck.
- The abdomen is divided into Thorax and Gastor (might/might not have a waist or ‘petiole’).
- In females, Ovipositor (egg-laying organ) is present. It is transformed from species to species (pierce, slice, saw, or sting).
- The order is divided into two suborders: Symphyta and Apocrita.
Symphyta (wood wasps, horntail, sawfly, etc.)
- No waist (unconstricted joint)
- Large mouthpart to chew
- 3 pairs of thoracic legs
- Antenna reduced to mere remnants.
- Larvae are herbivorous, caterpillar-like in shape, free
- Larvae have 3-pair of legs, prolegs (on every segment; no crochet hooks), and ocelli
Apocrita (wasp, bee, ant, etc.)
- Narrow-waist (constriction called ‘petiole’)
- Like protected spaces
- Most species have no legs (like a maggot)
- Larvae lack legs, prolegs, or ocelli
- Larvae are nurtured by adults
9. Hymenoptera undergoes metamorphosis or 4-stages of development: egg to larva to pupa to mature adult. Fertilized eggs develop into females and unfertilized into males.
10. A range of dietary habits is adopted by the species. Where bees feed on pollen, sting wasps can eat other insects. Some species have parasitoid habits. Some like destroying other insects, capturing the place of an occupant, and taking their food.
Coming from the class of Insecta, the order Hymenoptera has been seen as one of the most crucial orders for humans. Pollinators and Parasites–without these membranous winged insects, human life might not be possible at all!
Blog Edited By Ritika Gupta
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