Sclerodermus
Genus of wasps
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sclerodermus is a genus of chrysidoid wasps in the family Bethylidae. There are at least 20 described species in Sclerodermus.[2][3][4]
| Sclerodermus | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Bethylidae |
| Subfamily: | Scleroderminae |
| Genus: | Sclerodermus Latreille, 1810 |
| Synonyms | |
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Reproduction and sex ratios
Species of Sclerodermus exhibit quasi-social behavior: multiple females cooperate to paralyze a host and care for a shared brood.[5] Despite this cooperation, they consistently produce highly female-biased sex ratios often with less than 10% males, even when many mothers are present.[5]
According to classical sex ratio theory, more mothers should lead to a more balanced ratio of sons and daughters, since males would no longer be competing only with their brothers to mate. The extreme female bias in Sclerodermus contradicts this expectation.[5] Recent models suggest that dominant females may influence sex ratios by killing the sons of subordinates or preventing their production, a behavior known as infanticide.[5] These social dynamics help explain the unusual patterns observed in this genus.
Species
- Sclerodermus abdominalis Westwood, 1839 g
- Sclerodermus brevicornis Kieffer, 1906 g
- Sclerodermus cereicollis Kieffer, 1904 g
- Sclerodermus concinnus Saunders, 1881 g
- Sclerodermus cylindricus Westwood, 1839 g
- Sclerodermus domesticus Latreille, 1809 g
- Sclerodermus ephippius Saunders, 1881 g
- Sclerodermus fasciatus Westwood, 1839 g
- Sclerodermus fonscolombei Westwood, 1881 g
- Sclerodermus formiciformis Westwood, 1839 g
- Sclerodermus fulvicornis Westwood, 1839 g
- Sclerodermus fuscicornis Westwood, 1839 g
- Sclerodermus fuscus (Nees, 1834) g
- Sclerodermus gracilis Saunders, 1881 g
- Sclerodermus intermedius Westwood, 1839 g
- Sclerodermus linearis Westwood, 1881 g
- Sclerodermus minutus Westwood, 1839 g
- Sclerodermus nipponicus Yuasa, 1930 g
- Sclerodermus nitidus Westwood, 1839 g
- Sclerodermus pedunculus Westwood, 1839 g
- Sclerodermus piceus Westwood, 1839 g
- Sclerodermus rufus (Foerster, 1850) g
- Sclerodermus rufescens (Nees, 1834) g
- Sclerodermus sidneyanus Westwood, 1874 g
Data sources: i = ITIS,[6] c = Catalogue of Life,[7] g = GBIF,[2] b = Bugguide.net[3]
