The Description and Identification of Selected Wasps (Hymenoptera) in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
NJE Vol. 41: 1-21, 2025
DOI.10.36108/NJE/5202/14.0110
AKINTOYE A.C.* and OYELADE O.J.
Natural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Abstract
In order to update the list of insect species found in the habitats, the description and identification of wasp species within the Obafemi Awolowo University (O. A. U.), Ile-Ife campus, were investigated. Between the months of May 2021 and April 2022, the study was conducted. Using an indirect/passive method of setting traps with baits and an active/direct method of collecting that involved the use of sweep nets, wasp species were collected from six carefully chosen habitats on campus. At the Museum of Natural History, O. A. U., Ile-Ife, the collected wasp specimens were pinned, dried in an automated oven, and then placed in insect boxes filled with flakes of naphthalene (camphor). Using Afrotropical Hymenoptera identification keys, the identification was completed. Out of the 28 wasp species that were found in the chosen habitats, 27 were identified, described, and belonged to six different families: the Crabronidae, Evaniidae, Ichneumonidae, Pompilidae, Sphecidae, and Vespidae families. Nigeria is home to a large number of undiscovered wasp species. While some species are predatory, others are pollinators of flowers, and some even lay their eggs in other wasps’ nests, the majority of solitary wasps are parasitic in nature, feeding on nearly every pest, making them effective bio-control agents (O’Neill and Kevin, 2001).
Keywords: Afrotropical, description, Family, habitat, identification, species.