05/04/2018
Beware of eye-sighted beauty ....!
Weird Wasp Wednesday - Beware of beauty!
Ampulex compressa, or the emerald cockroach wasp, is a gorgeous metallic wasp with a sinister side. When the wasp is ready to lay an egg, she will seek out a cockroach, specifically a Periplaneta americana, Periplaneta australasiae or Neostylopyga rhombifolia. Once finding a suitable one the wasp will get herself in position on the much larger cockroach to sting it into its prothoracic ganglion. This initial sting temporarily immobilizes the front legs of the cockroach. This temporary paralysis allows her to sting again, this time directly into the brain of the cockroach, and more specifically, directly into the centre of the brain that controls the escape reflex. She’s able to do this with special sensory organs on the tip of her stinger, actually feeling through the neck and into the head and exactly where she wants to inject the venom. Unable to escape and confused, the roach is now helpless. The wasp then chews off about half of each antenna. The reason why is either to regain fluids lost from the battle and the envenoming, or to regulate the degree of venom in the cockroach, as she doesn't want to kill it, it’s not entirely sure why they chew the antennae half odd. She then uses the antennae as a leash, leading the cockroach back to her pre-dug burrow. Once inside she will lay a single egg on the abdomen of the cockroach and then seal off the entrance to the burrow. The larva will then hatch and enter the body of the cockroach, systematically eating the insides, making sure to leave the absolutely necessary organs for last so the host stays alive as long as possible. The larva will then pupate within its husk of a cockroach, emerging and digging itself out of the burrow to continue the cycle.
Interesting side note: the venom of this wasp may hold possible treatment options for Parkinson’s Disease!
http://neurosciencenews.com/wasp-venom-parkinsons-8449/
Thanks Doug Yanega for the article (and the help!)
