Stinger
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{{otheruses}}{{Refimprove|date=March 2008}}
A '''stinger''' (or more correctly, '''sting''') is a common term for a sharp [[Organ (anatomy)|organ]] or body part found in various [[animal]]s (typically [[arthropods]]) or plants that usually delivers some kind of [[venom (poison)|venom]] (usually piercing the skin of another animal). A poisonous sting differs from other piercing organs in that it pierces by its own action, as opposed to [[teeth]], which pierce by the force of [[jaw]]s, or [[spine (botany)|thorn]]s, which pierce by the action of the victim.
"Sting" also refers to the wound caused by a sting. It is also used as a verb: "to sting" is to inflict such a wound.
==Zoology==
[[Image:Waspstinger1658-2.jpg|right|thumb|[[Wasp]] sting, with droplet of [[venom (poison)|venom]]]]
The main type of construction of stings is a sharp organ of offense or defense, especially when connected with a [[venom]] gland, and adapted to inflict a wound by piercing; as the caudal sting of a [[scorpion]].
The sting is typically located at the rear of the animal, near the [[tail]] (if any). Animals with stings include [[bee]]s, [[wasp]]s, [[hornet]]s, and [[scorpion]]s - although the scorpion's sting is not [[homology (biology)|homologous]] to that of the other three, but is rather an example of [[convergent evolution]].
Uniquely in [[honey bee]]s amongst bees and wasps, the workers' stings (a modified [[ovipositor]] as in other stinging [[Hymenoptera]]) are barbed, and lodge in the flesh of [[mammal]]s upon use and tear free from the honey bee's body, leading to the bee's death within minutes. The sting has its own [[ganglion]] and it continues to saw into the target's flesh and release venom for several minutes. The question of how such a trait could have evolved, when it is of such an obvious disadvantage to the individual, is resolved when one realizes that mammalian predators can easily destroy the entire colony if not repelled; if the colony is destroyed, a worker, being sterile, will die without offspring, so only through defense of the colony can she see to it that her genes are passed on. The barbs ensure that a honey bee's attack is only suicidal if the attacker is a mammal; they can sting other bees (in inter-colony raids) repeatedly. Thus, under natural conditions, the suicidal aspect of the honey bee sting's barbs only come into play in the event of an attack which threatens to wipe out the entire colony. The sting of nearly all other bees and wasps is not barbed, and so can be used to sting mammals repeatedly; the only exceptions ([[yellowjacket]] wasps and the [[Mexican honey wasp]]) have barbs so small that they do not cause the sting apparatus to pull free, so they may sting more than once.
==Non-arthropods with stings==
Organs that perform similar functions in non-arthropods are often referred to as "stingers". These include the modified [[dorsal fin]] of the [[stingray]], the [[cnidocyte]] [[tentacle]]s of the [[jellyfish]], and the [[Platypus venom|venomous spurs]] on the hind legs of the male duck-billed [[platypus]].
As well, the term is sometimes applied to the [[fang]] (a modified tooth) of a [[snake]]. One species of snake, ''[[Psammophylax rhombeatus]]'', is even known as ''skaapsteker'' (Afrikaans for sheep stinger). It is extremely common in South Africa, and far north along the east and west coast.
==Botany==
A sharp-pointed hollow hair seated on a gland which secretes an acrid fluid, as in [[nettle]]s. The points of these hairs usually break off in the wound, and the acrid fluid is pressed into it.
==See also==
{{Commons|Category:Stingers|stinger}}
* [[Bee sting]]
* [[Cnidocyte]]
* [[Insect bite]]
* [[Schmidt Sting Pain Index]]
* [[Starr sting pain scale]]
==Sources and references==
* the 1913 edition of Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.''
[[Category:Animal anatomy]]
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[[fr:Dard (biologie)]]
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[[nl:Angel (insect)]]
[[ja:スティンガー (カクテル)]]
[[pl:Żądło]]
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