Sphecoid
adj ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 any of various solitary wasps wordnet
- 1 Of or pertaining to wasps formerly classified in the superfamily Sphecoidea (corresponding to all wasps in Apoidea), now sometimes treated as the series Spheciformes. not-comparable
"On morphological grounds they fall closest to the sphecoid wasps, although the lack of an adequate fossil record has made it impossible to pinpoint the exact ancestral phyletic line. In a word, the Apoidea can be loosely characterized as sphecoid wasps that have specialized on collecting pollen instead of insect prey as larval food."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"On morphological grounds they fall closest to the sphecoid wasps, although the lack of an adequate fossil record has made it impossible to pinpoint the exact ancestral phyletic line. In a word, the Apoidea can be loosely characterized as sphecoid wasps that have specialized on collecting pollen instead of insect prey as larval food."
Etymology
From translingual Sphecidae (“taxonomic family of wasps”), from Ancient Greek σφήξ (sphḗx, “wasp”).