African Arthropods/Hymenoptera

About 20 000 described species of Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, ants and sawflies) are known from the Afrotropical region. Estimates of the actual species count for the region range from 100 000 species to as high as 500 000 species. Nineteen different superfamilies are illustrated in this gallery in Wikimedia Commons.

The huge number of undescribed species means that many species will be extinct before we are even aware of them, as there are too few taxonomists employed to tackle the task of describing all of them in the next few decades.

Classification
The Order can be split into two Suborders - The Symphyta (Woodwasps, Horntails, Sawflies) and the Apocrita (Narrow-waisted wasps, ants and bees).

When compared to the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, the diversity of Symphyta in Africa is relatively poor, although sawflies of the Superfamily Tenthredinoidea are fairly common in forests and other woody vegetation types.

Africa has a rich diversity of Apocrita. The cladogram shown below indicates the possible relationships between 11 of the superfamilies that comprise Apocrita; These 11 superfamilies are all represented in Africa. This breakdown is used by iNaturalist. It is, however, not accepted by all hymenopterists, and may change as more phylogenetic evidence is accumulated.

Frequently reported African Apocrita
Aculeata (ants, bees and stinging wasps) are the most commonly observed Hymenoptera in Africa. There are many more photographs of African Aculeata on the web - See African Aculeata on WaspWeb and African Aculeata on iNaturalist

Links to stories
Eucharitidae: ​The ant parasitoids

Interaction of figs and fig wasps

Biology of Rhoophilus loewi (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea: Cynipidae), with implications for the evolution of inquilinism in gall wasps

Videos of Microgastrine wasps parasitizing caterpillars in France

Spider-hunting Wasps (Pompilidae) dragging spiders to their nests

Resources
WaspWeb - A bioinformatics resource for wasps, bees and ants recorded from the Afrotropical region.

Wasps and bees in southern Africa - A 320-page book by Sarah and Friedrich Gess published by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) - free download.

Hymenoptera of South Africa - a gallery on Wikimedia Commons

Chalcidoidea of South Africa - a gallery of chalcid wasps on Wikimedia Commons

Ichneumonidae of South Africa - a gallery of Darwin wasps on Wikimedia Commons

Microgastrinae Wasps of the World - Citizen Science