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Species: hymenopteran
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Hymenopterans, members of Hymenoptera, are a large order of insects. Also known as the "membrane-winged" insects, this order includes bees, ants, and wasps.
Of the species, the most famous examples tend to be its social species, such as honeybees and true ants. These insects have developed complex social systems divided into individual castes, and live together within nests or hives filled with many thousands of individuals, all descended form a single queen. Though most are, not all species are social. They are often important pollinators of flowering plants; flowers pollinated by bees are typically yellow or blue and often have patterns visible only under ultraviolet light, which bees can see. Other plants may be pollinated by ants, or may have a symbiotic relationship with the ants living within them. Some are parasitic, such as the parasitoid wasp, laying eggs within living hosts, often killing the host.
Hymenopterans range in size from very small to large insects, and usually have two pairs of wings. Their mouthparts are adapted for chewing, with well-developed mandibles. Many species have further developed the mouthparts into a lengthy proboscis. They also have large compound eyes. Their bodies are characteristically segmented, often into thirds, ending in a tapered abdomen, and have multiple legs. Females typically have a special ovipositor for inserting eggs into nesting holes or even living hosts. For some species, the ovipositor is often modified into a stinger, evolving into a blade-like structure used for things such as slicing plant tissue as well as piercing. Often the stinger utilizes venom to immobilize or stun.
With rare exceptions larvae have no legs and are maggot-like in form, adapted to life in a protected environment within a monitored nest or a host's flesh. Said larvae go through complete metamorphosis.
Species
See also
The following tags are aliased to this tag: bee_girl, hymenoptera (learn more).
This tag implicates insect (learn more).
The following tags implicate this tag: ant, bee, cupid_bee, hymenopteran_humanoid, hymenopteran_taur, wasp (learn more).
