Wasps

Definition

A paraphyletic assemblage of insects in the suborder Apocrita (order Hymenoptera) characterized by a narrow petiole ("wasp waist"), excluding the clades Anthophila (bees) and Formicidae (ants), which evolved from within wasp lineages. Most wasps are predatory or parasitoid, with aculeate wasps possessing a modified ovipositor that functions as a stinger. The group includes solitary and social species across families such as Vespidae, Pompilidae, and Ichneumonidae.

Etymology

From Middle English waspe, from Old English wæps, wæsp, from Proto-Germanic *wabisō.

Example

Paper wasps (Polistes spp.) and yellowjackets (Vespula spp.) are social aculeates that build paper nests, while parasitoid wasps such as braconids lay eggs in caterpillar hosts.

Synonyms

• Vespoids (informal, paraphyletic)

Related Terms

• Hymenoptera
• Apocrita
• Aculeata
• parasitoid
• Petiole
• Stinger
• sawflies
• Bees
• ants

Usage Notes

Wasps do not form a monophyletic clade; bees and ants are nested within wasp phylogeny. In common usage, "wasp" often refers specifically to social vespids, but specialists use the term more broadly for all non-bee, non-ant apocritans. Contrast with Symphyta (sawflies), which lack the constricted waist. The paraphyletic nature of "wasps" makes the term useful for field identification but problematic for phylogenetic classification.