Xiphydriidae

Xiphydriidae are a family of wood wasps that includes around 150 species. They are located all over the world including North and South America, Australia, Europe, and others.[1] Xiphydriidae larvae are wood borers in dead trees or branches of a range of trees.[2] They are characterized as having long and skinny necks with dome-shaped heads.[3] The oldest fossils of the group are from the mid Cretaceous.[4]

Xiphydriidae
Temporal range:
Xiphydria type genus of the family Xiphydriidae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Superfamily: Xiphydrioidea
Family: Xiphydriidae
Leach, 1815

Genera

These 29 genera belong to the family Xiphydriidae:[5]

  • Alloxiphia Wei, 2002
  • Austrocyrta Riek, 1955
  • Austroxiphyda Jennings, Macdonald, Schiff & Parslow, 2021
  • Brachyxiphus Philippi, 1871
  • Calexiphyda Smith, 2008
  • Carinoxiphia Wei, 1999
  • Derecyrta Smith, 1860
  • Eoxiphia Maa, 1949
  • Euxiphydria Semenov-Tian-Shanskii & Gussakovskii, 1935
  • Genaxiphia Maa, 1949
  • Gryponeura Benson, 1954
  • Heteroxiphia Saini & Singh, 1987
  • Hyperxiphia Maa, 1949
  • Indoxiphia Maa, 1949
  • Lataxiphyda Smith, 2008
  • Lissoxiphyda Smith, 2008
  • Megaxiphia Wei, 1999
  • Moaxiphia Maa, 1949
  • Obesaxiphyda Smith, 2008
  • Platyxiphydria Takeuchi, 1938
  • Rhysacephala Benson, 1954
  • Steirocephala Benson, 1954
  • Trixiphidia Wei, 1999
  • Xiphidiaphora Benson, 1954
  • Xiphydria Latreille, 1802
  • Xiphydriola Semenov-Tian-Shanskii, 1921
  • Yangixiphia Wei, 2002
  • † Paraxiphydria Gao et al, 2022 Burmese amber, Myanmar Cretaceous Albian-Cenomanian

Anatomy and morphology
Xiphydria camelus

Most of the species of Xiphydriidae have antennae that are filiform.[3] The antennal segments vary in number ranging from 14 to 22.[3] The maxillary and labial palpi shape and length varies by species. They have an occipital carina which is a ridge in the back of the head.[3] The head is somewhat spherical and is shiny.[6]

Thorax

The pronotum is medially constricted in Xiphydriidae.[6] The defined axillae completely separates the scutum laterally from the mesoscutellum.[7] Parts of the thorax for Xiphydriidae are generally smooth and shiny.[3]

Abdomen

The segment of the abdomen called the gaster can have an orange, red, or yellow coloring pattern.[7]

A study by David R. Smith broke the Xiphydriidae into different groups by their abdomen. The groups were as follows:

  • Xiphydriidae that have a maxillary palpus segmented into 7.[3]
  • Xiphydriidae that have short maxillary palpi and contain female fore claws with inner tooth.[3]
  • Xiphydriidae that have short maxillary palpi and also contain claws of both sexes with inner tooth.[3]

Life cycle and development

Larva

The Xiphydriidae larvae phytophagous, meaning bore into dead or weak trees and plants.[7] When they are buried in these trees, they rely on symbiotic fungi for food in the tunnels that they made.[1] The larva either do not have legs or they have vestigial legs. During the larval stage, the head of Xiphydriidae is as long as broad.[8] As a larva, the antenna contains either three or four segments. The first segment of the antenna does not have setae and is not enlarged.[8]

Adult

Adults are 6-21mm long. Adult Xiphydriidae are most commonly found in shadowy places and run on the surface of leaves.[9] The adults have heads that are spherical which are attached to long and skinny necks.[3]

Ecology

Xiphydriidae bore and feed into dying or weakened trees so they do not have a negative effect to the environment.[10] They can be a secondary pest to humans because of the dead wood people may bring into their homes.[8] Xiphydriidae can be a host for parasitoid Aulacidae and they emerge from larvae that are fully grown.[11]

In Japan, female Xiphydriidae were dissected and fungal spores were found.[12] The spores were 5 to 30 micrometers in diameter and had a globular shape. Mucus was also in the glandular organs of some of the wood wasps.[12]

References
Wikispecies has information related to Xiphydriidae.
  1. JENNINGS, JOHN T.; AUSTIN, ANDREW D.; SCHIFF, NATHAN M. (2007-06-28). "Rhysacephala novacaledonica sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Xiphydriidae), the first xiphydriid woodwasp from New Caledonia". Zootaxa. 1516 (1): 23–30. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1516.1.2. hdl:2440/43711. ISSN 1175-5334.
  2. Smith, David (January 2014). "NOTES ON TWO UNUSUAL SPECIES OF SYMPHYTA (HYMENOPTERA: PERGIDAE, XIPHYDRIIDAE) FROM CHILE, WITH THE FIRST REPORT OF A GALL-INDUCING SAWFLY FROM THE NEOTROPICAL REGION" (PDF). Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa. 54: 171–174.
  3. Smith, David R. (2008-07-15). "Xiphydriidae of the Philippines, Insular Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Fiji (Hymenoptera)". Beiträge zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology. 58 (1): 15–95. doi:10.21248/contrib.entomol.58.1.15-95. ISSN 2511-6428.
  4. Gao, Jia; Engel, Michael S.; Grímsson, Friðgeir; Gu, Lei; Ren, Dong; Gao, Tai-Ping (2022-01-04). "The first xiphydriid wood wasp in Cretaceous amber (Hymenoptera: Xiphydriidae) and a potential association with Cycadales". Fossil Record. 24 (2): 445–453. doi:10.5194/fr-24-445-2022. ISSN 2193-0066. S2CID 245733761.
  5. Taeger, A.; Liston, A.D.; Prous, M.; Groll, E.K.; et al. (2018). "ECatSym – Electronic World Catalog of Symphyta (Insecta, Hymenoptera)". Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut (SDEI), Müncheberg. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  6. "Xiphydriidae | Sawfly GenUS". idtools.org. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  7. "Insects of Britain and Ireland: Hymenoptera families - Xiphydriidae". www.delta-intkey.com. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  8. Smith, David (July 1, 1976). "The xiphydriid woodwasps of North America (Hymenoptera: Xiphydriidae)" (PDF). Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 102 (2): 101–131. JSTOR 25078190.
  9. Boevé, Jean-Luc; Domínguez, Diego F.; Smith, David R. (2018-06-25). "Sawflies from northern Ecuador and a checklist for the country (Hymenoptera: Argidae, Orussidae, Pergidae, Tenthredinidae, Xiphydriidae)". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 64: 1–24. doi:10.3897/jhr.64.24408. ISSN 1314-2607.
  10. Smith, David R. (2 October 2001). "A NEW SPECIES OF XIPHYDRIA LATREILLE (HYMENOPTERA: XIPHYDRIIDAE) REARED FROM RIVER BIRCH, BETULA NIGRA L., IN NORTH AMERICA" (PDF). Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 103: 962–967.
  11. "Aulacidae". tolweb.org. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  12. Kajimura, Hisashi (2000-03-01). "Discovery of Mycangia and Mucus in Adult Female Xiphydriid Woodwasps (Hymenoptera: Xiphydriidae) in Japan". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 93 (2): 312–317. doi:10.1603/0013-8746(2000)093[0312:domami]2.0.co;2. ISSN 0013-8746. S2CID 85743142.
  • Jennings, J. T.; Austin, A. D. & Bashford, R. (2009). "First record of the woodwasp family Xiphydriidae from Tasmania with a description of a new species and host record". Australian Journal of Entomology. 48: 25–28.
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