DEATH WASPS

by Scott R. Shaw
University of Wyoming

It really bugs me that we don't have a decent common name for the Ichneumonoidea. I'm not talking about a modified derivation of the scientific name like ichneumons, ichneumon-flies, or braconid wasps. I'm talking about a nice, wholesome, down to earth, simple common name like butterfly, bug, ant, beetle, etc. Here we are talking about one of the most diverse lineages of living organisms (conservatively estimated at 50,000 species), one of the most economically important groups of organisms (enormously valuable because of biological control applications), and certainly one of the more fascinating groups in terms of its diversity of live history strategies, and still we do not have a single common name to unify the group. Surely this is one of the great, quirky artifacts of the history of science! At first glance it's tempting to think that the ichneumonoids have been overlooked in this regard because of their generally small body size. But how can that be when the tiniest creatures in the Hymenoptera, the mymarids, do have a common name (fairy flies). Ultimately, we the scientists who work with braconids and ichneumonids must take the blame for not addressing this problem, for if we don't deal with it, who will?

Do we need a common name for the Ichneumonoidea? What good will it do us? Maybe it won't make any difference at all, but then again maybe it might. Consider that the absence of a simple common name for our group may be preventing us from effectively communicating our science to the public (and ultimately to our administrators). Lots of other less diverse, and probably less economically important groups, get more attention by the public simply because they do have a common name (e.g. grasshoppers, butterflies, ants). Do you think Holldobler & Wilson would have won the Pulitzer Prize for 'The Ants' if the caller their book, The Formicidae of the World? I think not. Obviously, what we need is a really neat common name for this most important group, the Ichneumonoidea. Something to capture the attention of the public, and to stimulate and attract students to the study of these wonderful organisms. The International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature doesn't apply to common names, so who can say that we shouldn't make on up.

Having actually given this matter considerable thought, my suggestion is "Death Wasps". Why "Death Wasps" you ask? Why not? What feature more succinctly describes the ichneumonoids than their ability to bring death to the hapless host victim. With only a few exceptions they are true parasitoids, eventually killing the host insect. And it is this ability to cause death that makes them valuable to us (as biocontrol agents). Certainly the public has a real fascination with parasitoid life style. Just look at the success of the "Alien" movies. The public is fascinated with stories of parasitism, but it's up to us to relay the information in a form they can understand. Finally, many generic names relate to the ability of the wasp to hunt, attack or kill (e.g. Microctonus, little murderer; Orion, the hunter, a reference to the sword of Orion; Doryctes, hunter with a spear; Sesioctonus, moth killer; Leptodrepana, slender sword). You can probably find other examples.

Critics might argue that the name "Death Wasps" could be applied to any other group of parasitoids wasps as well. Why restrict its use to the Ichneumonoidea? Well, there is the matter of historical precedence, since the earliest observations of parasitoid behaviour were made with the Braconidae. The first published account of insect parasitism is claimed to be Aldrovandi's 1602 work that includes an account of the gregarious parasitoid Cotesia glomerata attacking larva of the cabbage butterfly.

"Am I mad", you say? Perhaps. But I challenge any of you to come up with a better common name for our group. Certainly we have all had the experience of watching someone's eyes glaze over (Roll back, and flutter) as you begin to explain what you do for a living. The next time you are at a party and someone asks you what you do, tell them that you study Death Wasps, and see what happens.

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