Morphology of the sting apparatus in sapygid wasps of the subfamily Sapyginae (Hymenoptera: Sapygidae)

Abstract

Sapygidae is a small family of Aculeata (Hymenoptera), which is divided into two subfamilies Fedtschenkiinae and Sapyginae. The morphology of the skeleton of the sting apparatus in some European species of Sapyginae, which are kleptoparasites of wild bees from the families Megachilidae, Apidae and Colletidae, was examined. Significant differences in its skeletal structure were noted between Sapygina decemguttata and representatives of the genera Sapyga and Monosapyga. The sting of Sapygina belongs to the decurved type, while Sapyga and Monosapyga have a sting close to the coiled type. A comparison of the structure of the skeletons of the sting apparatuses of Sapygina and Sapyga with that of Fedtschenkia (according to other authors) was made. The similarity of the structure of the sting apparatuses of Sapygina and Fedtschenkia was noted. The possibility of using the Sapyginae sting as an ovipositor is discussed.