Isadelphia somalina
All insects are divided into three distinct parts; head, thorax and abdomen. Separate sections of each part are defined as sclerites (=plates), composed mainly of chitin, a tough material that is responsible for the strength of the insect exoskeleton (we have bone on the inside and muscle on the outside, whereas insects (and others, for example lobsters) have the reverse configuration with muscles on the inside and skeleton on the outside. This explains why insects look lifelike long after they are dead while we humans don’t look so good.
With sclerites (particularly those on its side) reminiscent of the armour-like skin of an Asian Rhinocerus, Isadelphia somalina is ready for any predator foolish enough to waste its time trying to crack open its body and get at the soft tissues inside. And to make things even more secure the underside of the abdomen is concave, capable of receiving the front parts of the wasp and rolling up into a ball. Isadelphia somalina is a species of Chrysididae (common names cuckoo or jewel wasps) and it is one of only two species in the genus Isadelphia. Our collection is the first record of the genus from Kenya.
Nearly all chrysidids are metallically coloured (interference colouration) and their palette is rich in colours with the entire spectrum represented – brilliant reds, blues, greens, yellows and purples. Chrysidid larvae are parasitoids (consuming the host larva) or cleptoparasitoids (consuming provisions intended for the host larva) of other families of wasps. Adult female chrysidids enter the nest made by the host and deposit their egg(s) on or near the host larva.
Credits: Dr Robert Copeland