''Xiphydria'' is a genus of wood wasps belonging to the family

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. Xiphydriidae larvae are wood borers in dead trees or branches of a ra ...

. This genus is

Holarctic The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical reg ...

, being found in Europe, Asia and North America.

Description

In ''Xiphydria'', the head has

mandibles In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone i ...

each with four teeth, 5-segmented maxillary palps, a

clypeus The clypeus is one of the sclerites that make up the face of an arthropod. In insects, the clypeus delimits the lower margin of the face, with the labrum articulated along the ventral margin of the clypeus. The mandibles bracket the labrum, but ...

with a medial tooth-like projection and antennae with about 20 segments. The

pronotum The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on e ...

is strongly constricted in dorsal view and the propleuron is long in lateral view (this means the head is positioned on a relatively long "neck"). The hind wing has only two closed cells. Larvae are white and grub-like. They resemble larvae of

Siricidae Horntails or wood wasps are any of the 150 non-social species of the hymenopteran family Siricidae, a type of wood-eating sawfly. The common name "horntail" derives from the stout, spine-like structure at the end of the adult's abdomen which is ...

, another wood-boring group of sawflies.

Biology

Female ''Xiphydria'' oviposit into diseased or dead wood, often branches that have fallen or are about to fall ( widowmakers). During oviposition, they also infect the wood with a

symbiotic Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term biolo ...

fungus A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

that starts decomposing the wood. Eggs hatch into larvae that bore galleries into wood parallel to the grain. As larvae feed, they pack

frass Frass refers loosely to the more or less solid excreta of insects, and to certain other related matter. Definition and etymology ''Frass'' is an informal term and accordingly it is variously used and variously defined. It is derived from the ...

(waste) behind their bodies. At maturity, larvae become prepupae which switch direction so the gallery runs towards the outside of the branch (this is to reduce the amount of wood that needs to be chewed through later). The next step is pupation. Once that is complete, adult wasps emerge, leaving behind emergence holes ~3 mm wide in the wood. This genus is

univoltine Voltinism is a term used in biology to indicate the number of broods or generations of an organism in a year. The term is most often applied to insects, and is particularly in use in sericulture, where silkworm varieties vary in their voltinism. ...

, meaning there is one generation per year. They attack a range of different broadleaf trees: ''Acer'' (

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

), ''Betula'' (

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

), ''Ulmus'' (

elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus ''Ulmus'' in the family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical- montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ...

), ''Carya'' (

hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes 19 species accepted by ''Plants of the World Online''. Seven species are native to southeast Asia in China, Indochina, and northeastern India (Assam), and twelve ...

), ''

Populus ''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood. The we ...

'' (cottonwood), ''Salix'' (

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

), ''Alnus'' (

alder Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...

), ''

Platanus ''Platanus'' ( ) is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae. All mature members of ''Platanus'' are tall, reaching in height. The type ...

'' (sycamore, plane), ''Rhus'' (

sumac Sumac or sumach ( , )—not to be confused with poison sumac—is any of the roughly 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' (and related genera) of the cashew and mango tree family, Anacardiaceae. However, it is '' Rhus coriaria ...

), ''Fagus'' (

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

), ''

Fraxinus ''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae, and comprises 45–65 species of usually medium-to-large trees, most of which are deciduous trees, although some Subtropics, subtropical specie ...

'' (ash), ''

Tilia ''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperateness, temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Great Bri ...

'' (basswood), ''

Ostrya ''Ostrya'' is a genus of eight to 10 small deciduous trees belonging to the birch family Betulaceae. Common names include hop-hornbeam and hophornbeam. It may also be called ironwood, a name shared with a number of other plants. The genus is na ...

'' (hophornbeam), ''

Crataegus ''Crataegus'' (), commonly called hawthorn, quickthorn, thornapple, Voss, E. G. 1985. ''Michigan Flora: A guide to the identification and occurrence of the native and naturalized seed-plants of the state. Part II: Dicots (Saururaceae–Cornacea ...

'' (hawthorn), ''Carpinus'' (

hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the family Betulaceae. Its species occur across much of the temperateness, temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names The common English name ''hornbeam'' derives ...

), ''

Prunus ''Prunus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs from the family (biology), family Rosaceae. The genus includes plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots and almonds (collectively Drupe, stonefruit). The genus has a cosm ...

'' (cherry, plum), and ''Quercus'' (

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

Importance to humans

Xiphydriidae may occur in firewood or raw woodworking materials. While usually of little economic importance, ''X. longicallis'' can cause economic damage to oak wood.

Species

The following species are recognised in the genus ''Xiphydria'': * ''

Xiphydria albopicta ''Xiphydria'' is a genus of wood wasps belonging to the family Xiphydriidae. This genus is Holarctic, being found in Europe, Asia and North America. Description In ''Xiphydria'', the head has mandibles each with four teeth, 5-segmented max ...

'' Shinohara & Kameda, 2019 * ''

Xiphydria annulitibia ''Xiphydria'' is a genus of wood wasps belonging to the family Xiphydriidae. This genus is Holarctic, being found in Europe, Asia and North America. Description In ''Xiphydria'', the head has mandibles each with four teeth, 5-segmented max ...

'' Takeuchi, 1936 * ''

Xiphydria betulae ''Xiphydria'' is a genus of wood wasps belonging to the family Xiphydriidae. This genus is Holarctic, being found in Europe, Asia and North America. Description In ''Xiphydria'', the head has mandibles each with four teeth, 5-segmented max ...

'' (Enslin, 1911) * ''

Xiphydria camelus ''Xiphydria'' is a genus of wood wasps belonging to the family Xiphydriidae. This genus is Holarctic realm, Holarctic, being found in Europe, Asia and North America. Description In ''Xiphydria'', the head has Mandible (arthropod mouthpart), m ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * '' Xiphydria canadensis'' (Provancher, 1875) * '' Xiphydria duniana'' Gourlay, 1927 * '' Xiphydria irrorata'' F.Pesarini, 1995 * '' Xiphydria kanba'' Shinohara, Hara & Smith, 2020 * '' Xiphydria kastsheevi'' Ermolenko, 1979 * '' Xiphydria konishii'' Shinohara, Hara & Smith, 2020 * '' Xiphydria laeviceps'' Smith, 1860 * '' Xiphydria longicollis'' (Geoffroy, 1785) * '' Xiphydria megapolitana'' (Brauns, 1884) * '' Xiphydria melanoptera'' Shinohara, Hara & Smith, 2020 * '' Xiphydria mellipes'' Harris 1841 * '' Xiphydria nagasei'' Shinohara, 2019 * '' Xiphydria ogasawarai'' Matsumura, 1927 * '' Xiphydria palaeanarctica'' Shinohara, 2019 * '' Xiphydria picta'' Konow, 1897 * '' Xiphydria prolongata'' (Geoffroy, 1785) * '' Xiphydria scutellata'' Konow, 1897 * BOLD:AAG7648 (''Xiphydria'' sp.) * BOLD:ACW8274 (''Xiphydria'' sp.) * BOLD:ADX5042 (''Xiphydria'' sp.) * BOLD:AED1517 (''Xiphydria'' sp.)

Gallery

File:Xiphydria mellipes 2.jpg, '' Xiphydria mellipes'' File:2021 07 11 Xiphydria prolongata.jpg, '' Xiphydria prolongata''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15715354 Xiphydriidae Hymenoptera genera