Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps) of the British Indian Ocean Territory

The genus Elasmus is the only member of the hymenopteran subfamily Elasminae (formerly classified as a separate family, Elasmidae), and contains over 200 species worldwide. They are mostly parasitoids or hyperparasitoids of lepidopteran larvae, though several species are parasitoids of Polistes paper wasp larvae. Some authorities now place Elasmus in the subfamily Eulophinae. less ↑

Enicospilus is a genus of large Ichneumonidae wasp, which do not sting. They are unusual for wasps in that they fly at night and can be found near porch lights. While these wasps resemble crane flies with long legs and long, thin bodies, the presence of two sets of wings distinguishes them from the single pair of wings of diptera (true flies including crane flies). There are almost 700 described species of Enicospilus.... less ↑

The genus Megachile is a cosmopolitan group of solitary bees, often called leafcutter bees or leafcutting bees. While other genera within the family Megachilidae may chew leaves or petals into fragments to build their nests, certain species within Megachile neatly cut pieces of leaves or petals, hence their common name. This is one of the largest genera of bees, with almost 1500 species in over 50 subgenera. North America has many native Megachile species less ↑

The longhorn crazy ant (Paratrechina longicornis), also known as "black crazy ant", is a species of small, dark-coloured insect in the family Formicidae. These ants are commonly called "crazy ants" because instead of following straight lines, they dash around erratically. They have a broad distribution, including much of the tropics and subtropics, and are also found in buildings in more temperate regions, making them one of the most widespread ant species in the world. This species less ↑

Polistes olivaceus is a species of paper wasp native to India and East Asia, but also introduced to East Africa, and Pacific island nations such as the Marquesas Islands, Easter Island, Hawaii, and the Cook Islands, in the South Pacific. In the Cook Islands, its English name is "Yellow Paper-Wasp", while its Cook Island Maori name is "Rango Patia" or other variation depending on the island. less ↑

Ropalidia is a large genus of eusocial paper wasps in the tribe Ropalidiini distributed throughout the Afrotropical, Indomalayan and Australasian biogeographical regions. The genus Ropalidia is unique because it contains both independent and swarm-founding species. Ropalidia romandi is one of the swarm founding species, meaning that new nests are founded by a large group of workers with a smaller number of inseminated females (egg-laying queens), while Ropalidia rev less ↑

Tapinoma (from Greek ταπείνωμα low position) is a genus of ants that belongs to the subfamily Dolichoderinae. The genus currently comprises 74 described species distributed worldwide in tropical and temperate regions. Members of are generalized foragers, nesting in a wide variety of habitats, ranging from grasslands, open fields, woodlands, to inside buildings. The majority of species nest in the ground under objects such as stones or tree logs, other species build nests unde less ↑

Ouvriere; Tete, tborax et petiole peu luisants, d'un testace rougeatre, mandibules, antennes et pattes d'un testace pale, abdomen d'un brun noir. Mandibules presque lisses et luisantes, avec quelques points epars; leur bord terminal arme de deux dents distinctes en avant, obsoletement denticule en arriere. Sillons antennaires profonds, aussi longs que le scape, divergents en arriere. Antennes de 12 articles; scape n'atteignant pas les angles posterieurs de la tete; premier article du funicule un peu plus long que large, les articles

2 a 8 plus larges que longs, les trois derniers forment une massue assez epaisse dont l'article terminal est aussi long que les deux pre- cedents reunis. Tete longitudinalement et grossierement ridee-reti- culee, sillons antennaires finement rugueux. Yeux assez grands, situes un peu en avant du milieu de la tete. Thorax court, boursoufle en forme d'ampoule, sans trace de segmentation en dessus, ses angles anterieurs arrondis. Sa face dorsale, tres convexe d'avant en arriere et d'un cote a l'autre, rejoint ses faces laterales sans aucune transition. Le metanotum est arme de deux longues epines aigues, divergentes, dirigees obliquement en arriere, et il est muni en outre d'une autre epine plus courte de chaque cote de l'articulation du petiole. La surface du thorax est entierement et grossiere- ment ponctuee-reticulee, sauf entre les epines ou la face declive du metanotum est presque lisse et luisante. Premier article du petiole longuement cylindrique en avant, renfle ensuite en un gros n oe ud presque spherique; second article nodiforme, un peu plus large que long et de meme largeur que le n oe ud du premier article. Les deux n oe uds sont grossierement ponctues-reticules comme le thorax. Abdomen en ovale court, lisse et luisant. Tout le corps, y compris le scape des antennes et les pattes, herisse d'une pilosite jaunatre, fine, longue et abondante, un peu plus oblique sur l'abdomen. - Long., 3 mill.

Gingi (Inde anglaise).

Cette remarquable espece parait voisine du T. lanuginosum Mayr . less ↑