A review of the diet of flower wasps (Hymenoptera: Thynnidae: Thynninae)

The feeding preferences of Australian flower wasps (Thynnidae: Thynninae) are reviewed based on the available literature, a search of a specimen database of almost 8,000 records and an examination of selected representatives of all described genera for the presence of pollen. The vast majority of records of feeding by flower wasps are on nectar, but they also feed on the exudates of scale insects, leafhoppers and aphids. The plants visited most frequently are from the family Myrtaceae, with most other families represented by only a small number of records. Interestingly, there are almost no records from several of Australia's most diverse plant families. It remains to be tested if members of the Myrtaceae show specific adaptations to pollination by flower wasps or if there is variation in wasp morphology in response to variation in diet. Future dietary studies of flower wasps should aim to quantify both floral and other food sources to aid in understanding the ecological requirements of these wasps and how they co-exist in such diverse communities.