African Arthropods/Hymenoptera

African Hymenoptera

Hymenoptera

African Chalcidoidea

• African Encyrtidae
• African chalcid wasps with branched antennae

African Diaprioidea

African Aculeata

• South African species of Philanthus

About 20 000 described species of Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, ants and sawflies) are known from the Afrotropical region. Estimates of the actual species count for the region range from 100 000 species to as high as 500 000 species. Nineteen different superfamilies are illustrated in this gallery in Wikimedia Commons.

The huge number of undescribed species means that many species will be extinct before we are even aware of them, as there are too few taxonomists employed to tackle the task of describing all of them in the next few decades.

Classification

The Order can be split into two Suborders - The Symphyta (Woodwasps, Horntails, Sawflies) and the Apocrita (Narrow-waisted wasps, ants and bees).

When compared to the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, the diversity of Symphyta in Africa is relatively poor, although sawflies of the Superfamily Tenthredinoidea are fairly common in forests and other woody vegetation types.

Afrotropical Symphyta comprise 4 superfamilies:

• Cephoidea - Afrotropical fauna restricted to two species of Athetocephus (Cephidae) from Madagascar.
• Orussoidea - Five genera of wood wasps (Orussidae) are known from Africa.
• Siricoidea - Two genera of wood wasps (Siricidae) are known from Africa.
• Tenthredinoidea - Three families of sawflies are known from Africa:
  • Argidae (Argid sawflies)
  • Athaliidae (Torpedo sawflies)
  • Tenthredinidae (Common sawflies)

Africa has a rich diversity of Apocrita. The cladogram shown below indicates the possible relationships between 11 of the superfamilies that comprise Apocrita; These 11 superfamilies are all represented in Africa. This breakdown is used by iNaturalist. It is, however, not accepted by all hymenopterists, and may change as more phylogenetic evidence is accumulated.

Apocrita

Parasitoida     Ceraphronoidea     Ichneumonoidea     Proctotrupomorpha   Cynipoidea       Platygastroidea       Chalcidoidea       Diaprioidea     Proctotrupoidea                   Evanioidea     Stephanoidea         Trigonaloidea   Aculeata   Chrysidoidea       Vespoidea (potter, honey and social wasps)         Pompiloidea (velvet ants, spider wasps and relatives)       Thynnoidea     Tiphioidea           Scolioidea       Formicoidea (ants)     Apoidea (bees and related wasps)

Some common African Symphyta

• 
  Sawfly, Arge sp. (Argidae, Superfamily Tenthredinoidea)
• 
  Sawfly, Athalia sp. (Tenthredinidae, Superfamily Tenthredinoidea)
• 
  Sawfly, Athalia sp. (Tenthredinidae, Superfamily Tenthredinoidea)
• 
  Sirex noctilio, a pest in Pinus plantations (introduced to Africa)

Frequently reported African Apocrita

Aculeata (ants, bees and stinging wasps) are the most commonly observed Hymenoptera in Africa. There are many more photographs of African Aculeata on the web - See African Aculeata on WaspWeb and African Aculeata on iNaturalist

• 
  Slender ant (Formicidae, Formicoidea)
• 
  Female carpenter bee (Apidae, Apoidea)
• 
  Blue mud-dauber wasp (Sphecidae, Apoidea)
• 
  Flat wasp (Bethylidae, Chrysidoidea)
• 
  Paper wasp (Vespidae, Vespoidea)
• 
  Meria sp. female (Thynnidae, Thynnoidea)
• 
  Dasylabris stimulatrix, a velvet ant (Mutillidae, Pompiloidea)
• 
  Spider-hunting wasp (Pompilidae, Pompiloidea)
• 
  Campsomerine wasp (Scoliidae, Scolioidea)

Darwin wasps (Ichneumonidae) and braconids (Braconidae) are also frequently reported. Links to African Ichneumonoidea on WaspWeb and African Ichneumonoidea on iNaturalist.

• 
  Echthromorpha agrestoria (Ichneumonidae, Ichneumonoidea)
• 
  Goryphus tricolor (Ichneumonidae, Ichneumonoidea)
• 
  Braconine wasp (Braconidae, Ichneumonoidea)
• 
  Microgastrine wasp (Braconidae, Ichneumonoidea)

Small chalcidoid parasitic wasps (especially those from the families Pteromalidae, Chalcididae, Eulophidae, Eurytomidae) are also common. Links to African Chalcidoidea on WaspWeb and African Chalcidoidea on iNaturalist

• 
  Halticoptera sp. (Pteromalidae, Chalcidoidea)
• 
  Brachymeria sp. (Chalcididae, Chalcidoidea)
• 
  Hemiptarsenus sp. (Eulophidae, Chalcidoidea)
• 
  Mating seed chalcids (Eurytomidae, Chalcidoidea)

Links to stories

Eucharitidae: ​The ant parasitoids

Interaction of figs and fig wasps

Biology of Rhoophilus loewi (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea: Cynipidae), with implications for the evolution of inquilinism in gall wasps

Videos of Microgastrine wasps parasitizing caterpillars in France

Spider-hunting Wasps (Pompilidae) dragging spiders to their nests

Resources

WaspWeb - A bioinformatics resource for wasps, bees and ants recorded from the Afrotropical region.

Wasps and bees in southern Africa - A 320-page book by Sarah and Friedrich Gess published by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) - free download.

Gess, S. K., & Gess, F. W. (2014). Wasps and bees in southern Africa (Vol. 24, pp. 1-320). Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268818231_Wasps_and_bees_in_southern_Africa

Hymenoptera of South Africa - a gallery on Wikimedia Commons

Chalcidoidea of South Africa - a gallery of chalcid wasps on Wikimedia Commons

Ichneumonidae of South Africa - a gallery of Darwin wasps on Wikimedia Commons

Microgastrinae Wasps of the World - Citizen Science