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Behavior of the hunting wasp Liris nigra V.d.L. (Hymenoptera, Larrinae) in particular or in unusual situations
Canadian Journal of Zoology
Abstract
On the average, a typical nesting cycle of this cricket-hunting wasp involves the following sequence of activities: nest digging—prey hunting and stinging (four stings are usually given)—malaxation of foreleg(s)—storage in nest—malaxation again, in nest—egg laying—nest closure.Many variations and unusual outcomes were observed, some mainly at particular stages of the life or nesting cycle of the wasp: nesting cycles with missing last stage(s) (early period of reproductive season and of daily cycle); abortive individual activities discontinued before completion (early stages of successive phases of nesting cycle); condensed nesting cycles, based on use of paralyzed crickets, nests of other Liris wasps (end of reproductive season).Other unusual behavior was observed in unusual situations or in case of interference. Various patchworks of response components were often performed, particularly in ambivalent or ambiguous contexts.Discussion of these unusual outcomes points to the possible importance of response, posture, and stimulus components or objects common to several nesting activities; of displacement activities; of changes in responsiveness of the wasp; and of stimulus situations that can vary in graded rather than discrete fashion.
... For example, Steiner (1971), while not reporting on the cricket test itself, tests the wasp Liris nigra, in their response to unusual situations and concludes that these wasps can initiate new kinds of behavior under the proper circumstance. He also says, ''the fixity of both the activities and of their succession seems, however, to have been overestimated or overemphasized'' (Steiner, 1971(Steiner, , p. 1401). ...
... For example, Steiner (1971), while not reporting on the cricket test itself, tests the wasp Liris nigra, in their response to unusual situations and concludes that these wasps can initiate new kinds of behavior under the proper circumstance. He also says, ''the fixity of both the activities and of their succession seems, however, to have been overestimated or overemphasized'' (Steiner, 1971(Steiner, , p. 1401). Ribi and Ribi refer to Fabre's claims concerning the fixity of the cricket test and report asimilar repetition for Sphex cognatus, but only ''several times before the wasp will grasp her prey and proceed directly into the whole' ' (1979, p. 698). ...
The Sphex story is an anecdote about a female digger wasp that at first sight seems to act quite intelligently, but subsequently is shown to be a mere automaton that can be made to repeat herself endlessly. Dennett and Hofstadter made this story well known and widely influential within the cognitive sciences where it is regularly used as evidence that insect behavior is highly rigid. The present paper discusses the origin and subsequent empirical investigation of the repetition reported in the Sphex story. The repetition was first observed by Henri Fabre in 1879 and the last empirical study I did find was published in 1985. In contrast to the story’s clear message, the actual results have always been equivocal: the endless repetition is not standard. In addition, this repetition itself has become a minor aside in the literature on digger wasps when put in the perspective of many other examples of adaptiveness and flexibility. Nevertheless, the story and its message have to this day persevered within the cognitive sciences. For some reason, the counterevidence has been neglected time and again. The paper closes by presenting two different but compatible hypotheses that could explain why humans keep repeating this particular anecdote.
... In the second case, the female picked up the prey, moved off to one of the nearby shrubs, stung it and returned to the nest, introducing it into the cell. Similar changes in the responsive behaviour of females in unusual situations have been reported by STEINER (1971) for Liris niger (Fabricius) and by BROCKMANN (1985) for Sphex ichneumoneus (Linnaeus). ...
Data on the nesting behaviour of Tachysphex albocinctus (Lucas), T. consocius Kohl, and T. tarsinus (Lepeletier) are presented. T. alhocinctus uses immature mantids as prey, and their males exhibit territorial behaviour; T. consocius and T. tarsinus prey on nymphal acridids.The mature larva of T. tarsinus is described.
This study attempts to answer the following question: do prey-stinging patterns differ consistently among wasps that are widely separated taxonomically when possible prey-related differences are eliminated? To answer the question distantly related wasps are selected (Larrinae vs. Sphecinae) that use very similar or identical orthopteran prey. Only the wasp factor is made to vary widely. In a previous study (Steiner 1976) both factors were held as constant as possible by selecting closely related cricket-hunting wasps (Liris spp.). Stinging patterns of the latter were remarkably similar, including context-dependent intra-specific variations.
Die von der Grabwespe Prionyx parkeri in ihre Heuschreckenbeute geführten vier aufeinanderfolgenden Stiche wirken hauptsächlich lokal (segmental) sofort lähmend. Unvollständigkeit der augenblicklichen Kausalfaktoren wie der Angriffsbereitschaft der Wespe und/oder der Beuteantworten führten voraussagbar zu unvollständigen Stichfolgen.
Vergleichende Untersuchungen belegen, daß die Stichmuster vor allem durch zwei Gruppen von Selektionsdrucken bestimmt werden:
Beute- und Wespenfaktoren wurden unabhängig voneinander durch geeignete Wahl von Wespen-Beute-Systemen manipuliert.
The solitary wasp Ampulex compressa Fabr. (Sphecidae: Hymenoptera) stings the cockroach first in the thorax and then in the neck toward the suboesophageal ganglion. The first sting results in a short lasting and completely reversible paralysis. The second sting causes an irreversible change in the behaviour: undisturbed cockroaches seem to be lethargic, and if stimulated they are able to run with speeds that equal that of control animals.
Changements dans le comportement de Periplaneta americana après piqǔres par Ampulex compressa (Hym. Sphecidae)
La guěpe solitaire aculéate, Ampulex compressa Fabr. n'inflige en général à sa proie, la blatte Periplaneta americana L., que deux piqǔres: l'une thoracique au niveau d'un patte prothoracique; la seconde dans le cou, au niveau du ganglion sousoesophagien. La première piqǔre provoque une paralysie immédiate, complètement réversible en moins d'une minute. Les piqǔres doubles provoquent également une paralysie, mais réversible dans un délai de plusieurs minutes. Au surplus, la deuxième piqǔre influence irréversiblement le comportement de la blatte, qui présente un état léthargique mais est tout à fait capable de se déplacer rapidement après une stimulation des mécanorécepteurs cercaux par un léger souffle d'air au niveau du cerque.
Details of the variation in sting morphology for all subfamilies of bees are presented for the first time. A considerable amount of variation, potentially of great utility for phylogenetic studies, has been discovered in every part of this complex structure. Additional probable synapomorphies of bees were found; these include loss of the specialized sensilla-bearing area at the apex of the gonostyli and the reduction and reorientation of the processi mediani at the base of the sting shaft. Synapomorphies for particular subtaxa of bees were found. These include a long, ventral emargination to the second valvifer in Nomiinae and a blister-like protrusion of the lamina spiracularis of the 7th hemitergite in the Megachilinae. Sting reduction and some details of sting morphology would seem to support a relationship between the Stenotritidae and Oxaeinae. Loss of sting function has occurred in four families of bees and repeatedly within the Andrenidae. In some instances loss of function as a sting is associated with increased development of certain structures indicating a change in function for the sting sclerites. It is suggested that all future studies of bee systematics above the species level should include assessment of variation of the sting apparatus and that sting preparations, made and stored in the same manner as preparations of male genitalia, become routine. © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003, 138, 1–38.
The courtship of Drosophila melanogasler is described and divided for the purpose of analysis into three elements; orientation, vibration and licking. These do not replace, but are superimposed upon one another. Three possible explanations of the change from one element to another in a courtship sequence are discussed. The most probable one is that the centres controlling the elements receive common excitation but have different thresholds for firing. There is reason to believe that the excitation is continuously fluctuating. Evidence in support of this explanation is as follows. 1. There is a negative correlation between average bouts of vibration plus licking, taken together (= average 'vibration bout-length'), as opposed to average bout-lengths of orientation. This would mean that when, for example, the excitation is for most of the time below the threshold for vibration, it will rise above it only for short periods and vice versa. 2. There is a positive correlation between average vibration bout-length and the percentage of licking in the courtship. This would mean that when the excitation remains above the threshold for vibration for longer periods, then it rises more often above the highest threshold-that for licking. 3. There is a positive correlation between average vibration bout-length and the total time spent courting a female over a long period. This 'total response time' is taken as an independent measure of sexual excitation and the correlation would mean that longer periods above the vibration threshold can be equated with higher sexual excitation. The explanation in terms of fluctuating excitation alone has two main difficulties. 1. Breaks in courtship are irregular and do not fit into the pattern as one would expect. With fertilized females however breaks can be correlated with special repelling movements of the female, suggesting that they are responses to inhibitory stimuli. Virgin females give other, less drastic, inhibitory stimuli and it is probable that their effect accumulates and overcomes the excitation only from time to time. The irregularity of breaks is thus explained because the inhibitory stimuli are indepedent of the excitatory ones. 2. There are consistent differences between the courtship patterns of males with simulans, as opposed to melanogaster females, which cannot be accounted for in terms of different excitation. The regression lines of vibration bout upon orientation bout and upon licking are significantly not parallel for the two types of female. For a given vibration bout-length, males with simulans females have longer bouts of orientation and less licking than those with melanogaster females. We suggest that inhibition while accumulating, interacts with excitation and it is fluctuations in the resultant 'effective excitation' which determine the courtship pattern. It is possible that given variations in excitation will have different effects upon the effective excitation according to the amounts of inhibition and excitation already present, and we assume that the observed difference in pattern is due to the greater number of inhibitory stimuli given by simulans females. The implications of this idea of interaction between inhibitory and excitatory factors in courtship are discussed. It is suggested that a 'conflict' between them may give rise to displacement activities from which the courtship itself is derived. The occurrence of inhibitory stimuli in other animals and the possible evolution of these movements in Drosophila is discussed.
[The behavior of the small digger wasp Bembecinus neglectus (Cresson) is described for the first time. The observations were made from June 24 to July 13, 1953, in an area of sandy glacial drift in Pottawatomie County, Kansas. Males were observed June 24- July I walking in small circles on the sand, taking short, hopping flights, and pouncing upon other males and females in attempted matings. Activity in the colony usually started about 9 a.m. and was at its height until 2 p.m. Females were present and engaged in nesting activities throughout the period of observation. The nest is dug by the female in about one hour; the burrow length averaged 11 cm. and the depth of the cell averaged 7.8 cm. The majority of individuals prepared a second cell in the same nest after the first one was fully provisioned. The egg is laid in the empty cell glued at about a 45° angle to the top of the small lump of sand grains, slanted away from the entrance to the cell. The day after oviposition, before the egg hatches, from one to three leafhoppers are brought in and placed head-in, venter-up, beside the egg. After the egg hatches, the larva is fed progressively for two or three days, until the cell is full and is closed off. From 10 to 15 leafhoppers are provided per cell. Two species of leafhoppers were used in large numbers, and one specimen of another species was found (all adults) ; two nymphal Dictyopharidae were found in one nest. The wasp always closes the nest when leaving, and spends little time in the nest when not engaged in provisioning; a final closure is made when provisioning is complete. The known ethology of other species of Bembecinus is reviewed, all species appearing to agree rather closely with neglectus. The unique features in the behavior of Bembecinus are reviewed, and reasons are advanced for considering the resemblances of this genus with the bembicine wasps as due to parallelism in evolution., The behavior of the small digger wasp Bembecinus neglectus (Cresson) is described for the first time. The observations were made from June 24 to July 13, 1953, in an area of sandy glacial drift in Pottawatomie County, Kansas. Males were observed June 24- July I walking in small circles on the sand, taking short, hopping flights, and pouncing upon other males and females in attempted matings. Activity in the colony usually started about 9 a.m. and was at its height until 2 p.m. Females were present and engaged in nesting activities throughout the period of observation. The nest is dug by the female in about one hour; the burrow length averaged 11 cm. and the depth of the cell averaged 7.8 cm. The majority of individuals prepared a second cell in the same nest after the first one was fully provisioned. The egg is laid in the empty cell glued at about a 45° angle to the top of the small lump of sand grains, slanted away from the entrance to the cell. The day after oviposition, before the egg hatches, from one to three leafhoppers are brought in and placed head-in, venter-up, beside the egg. After the egg hatches, the larva is fed progressively for two or three days, until the cell is full and is closed off. From 10 to 15 leafhoppers are provided per cell. Two species of leafhoppers were used in large numbers, and one specimen of another species was found (all adults) ; two nymphal Dictyopharidae were found in one nest. The wasp always closes the nest when leaving, and spends little time in the nest when not engaged in provisioning; a final closure is made when provisioning is complete. The known ethology of other species of Bembecinus is reviewed, all species appearing to agree rather closely with neglectus. The unique features in the behavior of Bembecinus are reviewed, and reasons are advanced for considering the resemblances of this genus with the bembicine wasps as due to parallelism in evolution.]
The three sections of this book are devoted to (1) a discussion of the general concepts of drive, directiveness and purpose and instinct, (2) six chapters on general features of the learning process, including habituation, associative learning, latent learning and insight, together with a discussion of physiological mechanisms in learning, and (3) eight chapters devoted to a systematic review of the learning abilities of the main animal groups. In the latter section the European literature of recent years is extensively reviewed. Bibliography and three indices: scientific names of animals, authors cited, and general topical index. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Summary1.Conflict-situations are best described in terms of incompatibility between behaviour patterns (or components) that are simultaneously tending to occur. The incompatibility exists whatever the causation of the patterns in question. Conflict-situations giving intention movements of flight are taken as an example.2.Sometimes two simultaneous tendencies can both be expressed in a single behaviour pattern or components such behaviour may be termed “compromise behaviour.” Four examples are given.3.Some behaviour patterns that occur apparently irrelevantly, and so might be termed displacement activities, may be caused in the same way as in their normal functional occurrences. Cooling responses and certain other behaviour that is associated with fear in Emberiza spp. are discussed as possible esamples.
ACCORDING to Tinbergen1, a "displacement activity is an activity belonging to the executive motor pattern of an instinct other than the instinct (s) activated", and, according to Bastock, Morris and Moynihan2, such activities would seem to take place in two quite different situations: "(1) Displacement activities may be performed by an animal in which two or more incompatible drives are strongly activated. Each drive prevents the expression of the other(s). (2) Displacement activities may also be performed by an animal in which one drive is, at the same time, both activated and thwarted."
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