D3551: The great grapplers: Investigating the mechanisms powering the unique Dryinidae pincer

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM MST

Location: Phoenix Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 6, PCC

Presenting Author(s)

Carly M. Tribull

Assistant Professor
Farmingdale State College
Farmingdale, New York

Co-Author(s)

Carly M. Tribull

Assistant Professor
Farmingdale State College
Farmingdale, New York
Brendon Elias Boudinot

Research Fellow
Smithsonian Institution
Davis, California
Thomas van de Kamp

Scientist
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

Dryinidae, a family of parasitoid wasps within the Aculeata, are unique among the Hymenoptera for their chela - articulating pincers formed from a highly derived fifth tarsal segment and claw. Most dryinid females have chela, although there is variation in their mobility and ability to constrain prey. However, the internal anatomy of Dryinidae has rarely been examined and there are no detailed studies of the musculature or biomechanics of the chela and associated structures in the prothoracic segments. For the purposes of our study, we used synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography (SR-µ-CT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), to reconstruct the prothoracic anatomy of 4 species, representing a morphological sequence from achelate to chelate, and from having a short to long pronotum. Based on our results, we define the anatomy of the chela and propose a model for the mechanics of the modified tarsus.