33/150: Brilliant, metallic, and kleptoparasitic: the cuckoo wasp is not your everyday wasp

animalia: Arthropoda: Insecta: Hymenoptera: Chrysididae: Chrysidinae: Trichrysis: Trichrysis doriae Neurada L., 1753

While we commonly think of wasps as stinging black-and-yellow insects that live in groups, they actually come in many sizes, lifestyles, and colours! The solitary cuckoo wasp, also known as the emerald wasp, comes in various metallic shades of blue, red, and green. They belong to a large cosmopolitan group called Chrysididae which has over 3,000 described species. The term cuckoo wasp refers to their kleptoparasitic nature of laying eggs in another insect’s nest, typically another solitary wasp or bee. Like cuckoo bird hatchlings, the wasp larvae consume the host egg or larva and also steals what food is provided. If caught in the process of sneaking into a nest, some cuckoo wasps can tuck in their legs and curl into a tight ball, like an armadillo, to protect itself. Their pitted exoskeletons keep them unharmed as the host evicts them from the nest and they’re free to try again. There are 2,292 cuckoo wasps with barcodes on BOLD. #Canada150 #Biodiversity150

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID:  CNPPI1338-12

nucleotide sequence

AATATTATATTTTATATTTGGGTTATGATCTGGAATAGTTGGAACTGGGTTGAGTATAATAATTCGATTGGAATTAGGA—TTTGTTGGGTCATTAATTAAAAATGATCAAATTTATAATGTATTAATTACAAGACATGCTTTTGTAATAATTTTTTTTATAGTAATACCATTTATAATTGGAGGATTTGGAAATTGATTAGTTCCTTTAATATTAGGTTCTCCTGATATAGCTTATCCTCGGATAAATAATATAAGATTTTGATTGTTACCTCCGTCAATAATTTTAATAATATTTAGAAGGTTAGTTGGAAGGGGTGTAGGAACTGGATGAACTGTTTATCCTCCATTATCGTCTTTAATAGGCCATGTTGGAATAAGAGTAGATTTATCAATTTTTTCATTACATATTGCAGGAATTTCATCAATTATAGGGGCAATCAATTTTATTGTAACAATTTTTAATATACATTTAAAAAGT—TTAAAAATAGATCAATTATTTTTATTAATTTGATCTGTTTTAATTACAGCAGTATTATTATTATTATCATTACCTGTATTAGCTGGAGCAATCACAATATTATTGACAGATCGAAATTTAAATACATCATTTTTTGATCCAGCTGGAGGTGGGGATCCAATTTTATATCAGCATTTATTT———

amino acid sequence

MLYFMFGLWSGMVGTGLSMMIRLELG-FVGSLIKNDQIYNVLITSHAFVMIFFMVMPFMIGGFGNWLVPLMLGSPDMAYPRMNNMSFWLLPPSMILMMFSSLVGSGVGTGWTVYPPLSSLMGHVGMSVDLSIFSLHIAGISSIMGAINFIVTIFNMHLKS-LKMDQLFLLIWSVLITAVLLLLSLPVLAGAITMLLTDRNLNTSFFDPAGGGDPILYQHLF—

Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:AAG0256

Title Image: Specimen BIOUG03675-G10 – Point Pelee National Park, Ontario – 29-Aug-2012
Photo Credit: CBG Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics