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We know Aculeata is the Hymenoptera’s lineage where the ovipositor evolved into a venomous sting. However, most ants have lost this sting, as well as meliponine and some other bees.

Kerr & Lello (1962) say that “there are at least thirteen ways in which stingless [meliponine] bees protect themselves, making stings obsolete”. Since this subject is being researched for more than 50 years, we hope that some advances have been made in the understanding of this specific evolutionary change.

What's the evolutionary advantage for these groups to lose this apparently awesome defense system?

Rodrigo
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    Does https://biology.stackexchange.com/q/35532/27148 help answer your question? – Bryan Krause Dec 02 '20 at 05:08
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    @BryanKrause It does raise interesting hypothesis, but I'm hoping a specific study may exist on the subject I've brought. For instance, counting how many times the sting was lost within Aculeata, proposing specific hypothesis about why the sting wasn't any longer required in each clade, etc. Within meliponines, some species have painful bites, but others don't. How do the latter compensate for that apparent lack of defense abilities? – Rodrigo Dec 02 '20 at 05:17
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    It's not typically possible to do anything but speculate and tell just-so stories in these cases, which is why we have that canonical answer. – Bryan Krause Dec 02 '20 at 05:18
  • @BryanKrause It's not always a matter of simply just-so stories. There may be specific structures, behaviors, hormones, etc, that have evolved in such groups that provide a more plausible explanation for them. – Rodrigo Dec 02 '20 at 05:27
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    I voted to close for Hwk (how far did you get with your own research?) because the post Bryan mentions answers the question you are asking sufficiently. If there is something you have found that specifically contradicts or expands on that answer, I'd include it here. – James Dec 02 '20 at 13:18
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    @James I asked a question about evolution of Hymenoptera, not a general question about evolution. Kerr & Lello (1962) say (in the abstract) that "there are at least thirteen ways in which stingless bees protect themselves, making stings obsolete". However, Western science is not open to the public, and this site, which could be an option to that, is full of perfectionists like you trying to close perfectly valid questions. C'mon! – Rodrigo Dec 02 '20 at 14:29
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    @Rodrigo Maybe this is an XY problem? You are asking about why ants and some bees have lost their stings, but if what you actually want to know is what alternatives these stingless insects have to protect themselves why not ask that question instead, citing Kerr & Lello? – Bryan Krause Dec 02 '20 at 15:23
  • @BryanKrause Even if we know about other defense mechanisms, it would still be interesting to know the evolutionary costs and benefits of each -- this could explain the change. So I think the way I asked is more direct. – Rodrigo Dec 02 '20 at 15:53
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    Does this answer your question? Why do some bad traits evolve, and good ones don't? – MattDMo Dec 02 '20 at 23:13
  • @MattDMo That's the first comment here, for which the answer is No. – Rodrigo Dec 02 '20 at 23:14
  • Many ants do have functional stingers. see the fire ant. – John Dec 03 '20 at 00:04
  • @John I know, the text of the question says "some ants". And fire ants don't have a sting, as far as I know, Ponerinae ants and some other subfamilies do. – Rodrigo Dec 03 '20 at 00:07
  • @Rodrigo fire ants do have a venomous string, https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/sting-prey-raft-the-successful-behaviors-of-red-imported-fire-ants – John Dec 03 '20 at 00:13
  • @John Indeed, sorry. I thought that, like most Myrmicinae, they didn't. – Rodrigo Dec 03 '20 at 00:23

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