#eucharitidae

You know Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, but do you recall... the reindeer wasp? Many species in the family Eucharitidae are noted for their unusual antennae, which branch out to resemble the antlers of a reindeer! But instead of toys for children, reindeer wasps lay eggs near ant hills. The larvae hitch a ride on in-going ants, and once inside, feast on the ant larvae in the nest until they're ready to pupate.

As the year comes to a close I wish to inundate you all with some of the coolest, prettiest or strangest wasp photos uploaded to iNat this year, inspired by @cathartidae's wauce blasts

Gonatopus and liopterid

Gasteruption and Cameronella

Eumenine and Smicromorpha doddi

Ammophila wrightii and Stilbula

Pelecinus polyturator and Chrysis viridula

Tracheliodes curvitarsis and Oxyscelio

Orasema and Apoica pallens

Scelionids and Feron kingi

Neotriadomerus and Phlebopenes

Euplectromorpha variegata and chalcids

Antron douglasii and Stylaclista

Synergus and Obenbergerella

Elasmosoma and Polistes dominula

Odontophotopsis melicausa and Stizus texanus

Stypiura and Radumeris tasmaniensis

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cla.12006

the duality of wasp asses

it's time to look at eucharitid wasps and appreciate just how shaped a beast can be

the working theory as to why so many have those big weird spines is that since they're often parasitoids of ants, they use the spines to protect their wings from the tunnel sides when the newly emerged adult crawls out of the ant nest

sometimes you find just a truly absurd little animal and you gotta marvel at life

Thorny parasitoid wasps, Genus Schizaspidia, Eucharitidae, Asia