Adaptation

Ampulex compressa is incredibly adapted to be an incredibly successful parasite. Its attack method to disable its host is flawless and its sting is executed with near surgical accuracy. In a study on the emerald cockroach wasp, it was discovered that there are actually tiny sensory receptors at the end of the wasps stinger that relay electrical messages to its brain through the axons of neurons (Miller 2004). This incredible sensory information received from the wasps stinger is so accurate the wasp can directly sting the cockroach's thorax in order to paralyze the two front legs. This temporary paralysis allows for a second, even more precise sting to the cockroach's ganglia (brain) where the wasp releases its incapacitating venom. The study also performed a test introducing a population of emerald cockroach wasps to a group ofA cockroaches with their brain removed to see how the wasps would react. It was found that "in the brainless roaches, the wasps searched the empty head cavity for an average of 10 minutes. A radioactive tracer injected into the wasps revealed that when they finally did sting, they used about 1/6 the usual amount of venom" (Miller 2004). The wasps' stinger receptors provide such detailed information it knows when a variable in the stinging process is out of the ordinary; generally the wasp's sting to the brain takes less than a minute.

Not only have these wasps mastered their technique, but their venom as well. For a detailed overview of the effects of emerald cockroach wasp's venom, see interactions.

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