Apterous-female

Guides

• Gonatopus

  hump-backed pincer wasps

  Gonatopus is a genus of solitary wasps in the family Dryinidae, commonly known as hump-backed pincer wasps. Females are wingless and possess enlarged, scissor-like foretarsi used to capture leafhopper hosts. The genus comprises ectoparasitoid species that develop on Auchenorrhyncha, primarily leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) and planthoppers (Delphacidae). Multiple species have been documented as biological control agents of agricultural pests, particularly rice plant hoppers in Asia and the glassy-winged sharpshooter in the Americas.

  parasitoidleafhopper-parasitebiological-controlrice-pest-managementsharpshooter-controlsexual-dimorphismapterous-femalechelate-foretarsi

• Sclerogibbidae

  Sclerogibbidae is a small family of aculeate wasps within the superfamily Chrysidoidea. All modern species are specialized ectoparasitoids of Embioptera (webspinners). Females of extant species are wingless (apterous), a trait not shared by fossil species known from Cretaceous and Miocene ambers. The family has a sparse but geographically widespread distribution across tropical and subtropical regions.

  parasitoidapterous-femaleEmbioptera-hostChrysidoideaCretaceous-fossilwing-dimorphism

• Timulla cyllene

  Timulla cyllene is a species of wingless wasp in the family Mutillidae, commonly known as velvet ants. Females are apterous (wingless) and possess a potent sting, a trait shared across the family. The species is part of a genus frequently involved in Müllerian or Batesian mimicry complexes, with some spiders such as Sergiolus capulatus bearing striking resemblance to Timulla species.

  velvet-antwingless-waspmimicry-modelMutillidaeapterous-femalepotent-sting