Phil Rau.
The Sting of the Male Wasp, Monobia quadridens.
Psyche 41:245-248, 1934.

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19341 Sting of the Male Wasp, Monobia quadridens 245 THE STING OF THE MALE WASP, MONOBIA
QUADRIDENS
BY PHIL RAU
Kirkwood, Mo.
The females of solitary wasps have a functional sting, while male wasps are devoid of stings, but often the latter are not devoid of the desire to sting. In picking up males of Sceliphron casmentarium and Chalybion casruleum, one oc- casionally notes attempts to pierce one's flesh with the tip of the abdomen. Stinging by the males'in these two species is not possible, but it may prove useful in frightening an enemy.
In Monobia quadridens the female can sting one's hand and cause a slight pain, but I was indeed surprised when I picked up a male to find him also able to inflict pain by pierc- ing the flesh with the tip of his abdomen. The pain resem- bles that of a sharp needle prick and is over after a few seconds, since of course no poison is injected. The attempt at stinging by the male fulfills a purpose similar to the sting by the female because it effects the release and escape of the insect; the same behavior in its natural habitat, when trapped by an enemy, would prove beneficial to the male. Pu&e 41:245 I JIM), http //psyche enlcliib ore/41/41.245 him1



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