Biology:Deuteragenia ossarium

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Short description: Species of wasp


Deuteragenia ossarium
Deuteragenia ossarium.png
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
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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 southeast 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. 1.0 1.1 1.2 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. PMID 24987876. Bibcode2014PLoSO...9j1592S. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 Megan Gannon, News Editor, LiveScience: Newfound Wasp Literally Has Skeletons in Its Closet, https://news.yahoo.com/newfound-wasp-literally-skeletons-closet-190118261.html, July 2, 2014.
  3. "The ESF Top 10 New Species for 2015". State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. http://www.esf.edu/top10/. Retrieved 13 November 2015. 
  4. Berenson, Tessa (21 May 2015). "These Are the Top 10 New Species Discovered Last Year". Time. http://time.com/3892806/top-ten-species-2014/. Retrieved 13 November 2015. 

Wikidata ☰ Q17310691 entry