The female of the species is more deadly than the male, but the latter have quite the weapon.
Men mason wasp use sharp spines on their genitalia to resist being eaten.
The team found the tree frog and mason wasp by housing them. More than a third of the Frogs rejected the wasp.
The authors of the study reported that male was were often seen to pierce the mouth or other parts of the frog with their genitalia.
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The tree frog ate the insects even though they were bitten.
The genitals of male genitalia appear to play a role in preventing tree frog from swallowing male wasp.
Kipling might have been correct. Female mason wasp were less likely to be attacked by tree frog and more likely to be rejected than males, suggesting their defences are even better.
The team noted that both males and females were eaten by pond frog, which had a higher tolerance for wasp sting.
According to the researchers, the study highlighted the importance of male genitalia for defence against predatory animals. Male hawkmoths use their genitalia to jam bat sonar.
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Prof Sumner is the author of the book "Endless Forms: the Secret World ofWasps". She said that it could be spiky enough to cause the wasp to be released.
Sumner said it was possible that male mason was used the approach to escape from the tree frog.
There's not much scope for evolution because males don't have a venom sac If a male can disguise himself as a female to reduce his chances of being eaten, this may be selected for.
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