THE CLASSIFICATION OF INSECTS 09 



The ants (Formicidce) are characterised by the nodular 

 form of the waist and by their elbowed antenna?. They 

 are found in all parts of the world, but are most abundant 

 in tropical countries. They live together in communities 

 which comprise wingless, imperfectly developed females 

 (workers), in addition to winged males and females of the 

 ordinary type. 



The MutiUidce are sometimes called " solitary ants." 

 Their bodies are usually covered with brightly coloured 

 hairs. Only the males are winged. There is one British 

 species (Mutilla europcea), which lives in humble-bees' 

 nests, where its larva? feed as parasites upon the bee-grubs. 



Three families of Hymenoptera are known as " digger- 

 wasps." The Scoliidce are abundant in the tropics, but 

 only one small species occurs in Britain. The females 

 burrow into the ground, where they lay their eggs upon 

 beetle larva?, thus providing food for their grubs. The 

 Pompilidce construct nests, usually by digging in sandy 

 banks, and provision them with spiders. The Sphegidce 

 have similar habits, but prey for the most part upon 

 caterpillars, though some take flies, crickets, and hard 

 beetles. Both these families are abundant in all parts of 

 the world, and are represented in Britain by numerous 

 species. 



The true wasps {Vespidce) may be known by the fact 

 that the fore-wings are folded longitudinally when the 

 insect is at rest. There are two sub-families. In the 

 solitary wasps (Eumenince) the shin or tibia of the middle 

 leg has only one spine at the tip, and the claws of the 

 feet are toothed. The species usually construct earthen 

 nests, which they store with caterpillars and other insects. 

 Some of the species form incipient colonies by building 

 their nests close together. Among the social wasps 

 {Vespince) the tibia of the middle leg has two spines at 



