Aculeata is aninfraorder ofHymenoptera containingants,bees, and stinging wasps. The name is a reference to the defining feature of the group, which is the modification of theovipositor into astinger. However, many members of the group cannot sting, either retaining the ovipositor, or having lost it altogether. A large part of the clade isparasitic.
This group includes all of theeusocialHymenopterans. It is theorized that the possession of a venomous sting was important in the repeatedevolution of eusociality within Hymenoptera.
The use of the name Aculeata has a long history at the rank ofinfraorder or division. The Aculeata are amonophyletic, or good natural group, containing all the descendants of a single common ancestor. The Aculeata are therefore maintained as ataxon, either at infraorder or division rank or as an unrankedclade.[2][3][4][5][6]
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