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Long genital spines on male wasps can save their lives

A male’s rear spikes prove vital when it’s wasp vs. tree frog

photo of a black and yellow Anterhynchium mason wasp and a green tree frog on a white background

The genital spikes of this Anterhynchium mason wasp give him a fighting chance of survival if a dangerous tree frog attacks.

Shinji Sugiura

By Susan Milius

Fending off an attacker by swordplay with two genital spines turns out to be a moderately useful form of self-defense for male wasps, an unusual study shows. A mason wasp’s rear spikes may be useless when it comes to delivering sperm, but they could save his life.