Brain Surgeon Wasp

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/02/03/wasp-performs-roachb.html

This is old news, but such an interesting story. Ampulex compressa, the emerald cockroach wasp has been shown to sting cockroaches in a precise manner to cause slight paralyzation and to retard escape reflexes (by stinging once in the abdomen and once in the ganglia). The wasp then leads the partially paralyzed cockroach back to its den using the roaches antennae. Once in the den the wasp lays an egg on the roach and seals up the den. When the wasp larvae emerges it works its way inside the roach and consumes the internal organs in such a way that the roach continues to stay alive until the wasp larvae forms an internal cocoon.

Such chance and complex interactions like this boggle my mind as undirected forces work to hopefully result in survival of species. How did these two species reach the point of such an interaction? Why did nature make it such a complex process?

Too simplify into components of this interaction: wasp = functional wings for flight (fast enough to escape most predators, correct size to provide lift), stinger (correct length for precise injection, venom control right size for adequate amount of venom release, i.e. enough to only slightly paralyze, stinger strength, i.e. strong enough to penetrate exoskeleton of roach), venom chemical components (chemicals in venom act to interupt/alter physiological processes of other organisms), host location (odor orientation/infrared detection), ganglia??? (engineering capablities to produce den, species specific host location, precise application of stinger).



Also:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/104533755/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0