• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.554-562
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• 2020

Tremex fuscicornis (Siricidae), known as the xylophagous horntail, and Leucospis japonica (Leucospidae), known as the parasitoid wasp, are wood-boring wasps belonging to the order Hymenoptera. These insects are interesting sources of biological inspiration for the development of drilling mechanisms. To study the biomimicry aspects, the morphological characters of the ovipositor of T. fuscicornis and L. japonica were analyzed using a stereoscopic microscope, a field emission scanning electron microscope, and an optical microscope. There were many differences in the ovipositors between the two species, such as shape, length, surface structure, and arrangement of the teeth. Evenly arranged teeth were developed at the tip of both the dorsal valve and the ventral valve of the ovipositor of T. fuscicornis and looked like a rotating drill bit. In contrast, in L. japonica, the teeth, which looked like a saw, were found only on the ventral valve. Moreover, the tip of the ovipositor of T. fuscicornis was symmetrically divided into four parts, while that of L. japonica was divided into three parts having a 2:1:1 ratio. However, in the case of T. fuscicornis, after the 14th tooth, four parts melded into three parts maintaining a 2:1:1 ratio, and a dovetail joint was found on the horizontal cross-section of the ovipositor that allowed vertical movement for making a hole. These morphological differences of the ovipositor may be due to the insects' lifestyles and phylogenetic distance. Finally, zinc was commonly found at the tip of the ovipositors of both species, a probable result of ecological adaptation created by drilling wood.