Are Wasps and Ants Related?

Originally, scientists believed that the ancestor of ants and wasps was a spheciform wasp called Cariridris bipetiolata. However, this was later reinterpreted as a spheciform ant.

The research conducted at the University of California, Davis provides a fresh perspective on this lower Cretaceous fossil. Scientists used state-of-the-art genome sequencing, bioinformatics, and biophysical data to analyze the evolutionary relationships among the insects. In addition, they found that ants and bees share more genetic similarities than previously thought.

Both ants and bees are members of the Order Apoidea. Ants are also part of a clade called Apocrita. They are more closely related to stinging wasps than social wasps.

The clade includes over 2,000 species of hunting wasps. In addition, there are over 20,000 species of solitary wasps.

The solitary forms are phytophagous and feed on pollen. The females of both clades are winged. The eusocial forms are characterized by nests. The nests are built by the females. Each queen produces dozens to thousands of offspring. The offspring develop into haploid males, which are then able to feed from the host.

Ants and bees are also classified under the same phylum, Apocrita. Apocrita includes bees, ants, and sawflies. In addition, sociality among insects is found in termites. The UC Davis research provides a new understanding of the evolution of the lower Cretaceous fossil Cariridris bipetiolata.

The study also helps to settle the question of whether ants and bees are related. Scientists agree that they are indeed related. However, they believe that the ants and bees are more closely related to each other than they are to social wasps.