Overview
Sphecidae (, 1802) is a cosmopolitan family of wasps that include digger wasps, mud daubers and other familiar types that all fall under the category of thread-waisted wasps. Both of the traditional definitions of the Sphecidae (the conservative one, where all the sphecoid wasps other than ampulicids and heterogynaids were in a single large family, and the more refined one, where the 7 large sphecid subfamilies were each elevated to family rank) have recently been shown to be paraphyletic, and the most recent classification is closer to the conservative scheme; the families Heterogynaidae and Ampulicidae are the sister taxa to what are now two families (instead of one), the Sphecidae and Crabronidae. Thus, the bulk of the sphecoid wasps are now placed in Crabronidae, and Sphecidae per se is a much more restricted concept, equivalent to what used to be the subfamily Sphecinae.
The biology of the Sphecidae, even under the restricted definition, is still fairly diverse; some sceliphrines even display rudimentary forms of sociality, and some sphecines rear multiple larvae in a single large brood cell. Many nest in pre-existing cavities, or dig simple burrows in the soil, but there are also species which construct free-standing nests of mud and even (in one genus) resin. All are predatory, but the type of prey ranges from spiders to various dictyopterans or orthopteroids to caterpillars (of either Lepidoptera or other Hymenoptera); the vast majority practice mass provisioning, providing all the prey items prior to laying the egg.
Subgroups
Subfamily Ammophilinae
- Ammophila
- Podalonia, etc
Subfamily Sceliphrinae
- Chlorion
- Sceliphron
- Stangeella, etc
Subfamily Sphecinae
- Chilosphex
- Isodontia
- Palmodes
- Prionyx
- Sphex, etc
Photos
Taxonomy
The Family Sphecidae is a member of the Superfamily Apoidea. Here is the complete "parentage" of Sphecidae:
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
- Subphylum: Mandibulata
Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Class: Insecta
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Subclass: Dicondylia
- Infraclass: Pterygota
- Winged Insects
- Superorder: Hymenopterida
- Order: Hymenoptera C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Ants, Bees, and Wasps
- Superorder: Hymenopterida
- Infraclass: Pterygota
- Winged Insects
- Subclass: Dicondylia
- Class: Insecta
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Subphylum: Mandibulata
Snodgrass, 1938
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
The Family Sphecidae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Subfamily (5): Astatinae · Conocephalinae · Crabroninae · Nyssoninae · Oecanthinae
- Genus (64): Alysson · Ammophila · Aphilanthops · Argogorytes · Astata · Belomicrus · Bembecinus · Bembex · Bembicinus · Bembix · Bicyrtes · Chalybion · Chilosphex · Chlorion · Clitemnestra · Coelocrabro · Crabro · Deinomimesa · Dryudella · Ectemnius · Eremnophila · Eremochares · Gorytes · Harpactus · Hoplammophila · Hoplocrabro · Isodontia · Isodonyia · Larra · Lestica · Liris · Mellinus · Microbembex · Mimesa · Mimumesa · Miscus · Nesomimesa · Nippononysson · Nysson · Oxybelus · Palarus · Palmodes · Parasphex · Pelopoeus · Pemphredon · Philanthus · Philia · Pison · Podalonia · Polemistus · Prionyx · Psammophila · Psen · Rhopalum · Sagenista · Sceliphron · Sericophorus · Solierella · Sphex · Stizus · Tachysphex · Tachytes · Tettigoniidae · Trypoxylon
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 721 species and subspecies in the Family Sphecidae.
Genera
Alysson
Ammophila
A genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[1] [more]
Aphilanthops
Argogorytes
Astata
Belomicrus
Bembecinus
Bembex
Bembicinus
Bembix
Bembix is a large cosmopolitan genus of large, often brightly-colored predatory , consisting of about 380 species. [more]
Bicyrtes
Chalybion
Chilosphex
Chlorion
Clitemnestra
Coelocrabro
Crabro
Deinomimesa
Dryudella
Ectemnius
Eremnophila
Eremochares
Gorytes
Harpactus
Hoplammophila
Hoplocrabro
Isodontia
Isodonyia
Larra
Lestica
Liris
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[2] [more]
Mellinus
Microbembex
Mimesa
Mimumesa
Miscus
Nesomimesa
Nippononysson
Nysson
Oxybelus
Palarus
Palmodes
Parasphex
Pelopoeus
Pemphredon
Philanthus
Beewolves (genus Philanthus), also known as bee-hunters, burrowing wasps, or philanthuses, are solitary, wasps, most of which prey on bees, hence their common name. The adult females dig tunnels in the ground for nesting, while the territorial males mark twigs and other objects with pheromones to claim the territory from competing males. [more]
Philia
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[3] [more]
Pison
Podalonia
Polemistus
Prionyx
Psammophila
Psen
Rhopalum
Sagenista
Sceliphron
Sceliphron is a genus of of the Sphecidae family, commonly referred to as mud daubers. They are solitary and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, often just inside of windows or vent openings, and it may take a female only a day to construct a cell requiring dozens of trips carrying mud. Females will add new cells one by one to the nest after each cell is provisioned. They provision these nests with spiders, such as crab spiders, orb-weaver spiders and jumping spiders in particular, as food for the developing larvae. Each mud cell contains one egg and is provided with several prey items. Females of some species lay a modest average of 15 eggs over their whole lifespan[1]. Various parasites attack these nests, including several species of cuckoo wasps, primarily by sneaking into the nest while the resident mud dauber is out foraging. [more]
Sericophorus
Solierella
Sphex
Wasps of the genus Sphex (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan of the family Sphecidae that sting and paralyze prey insects. There are over 130 known digger wasp species. In preparation for egg laying they construct a protected "nest" (some species dig nests in the ground, while others use pre-existing holes) and then stock it with captured insects. Typically the prey are left alive, but paralyzed by wasp toxins. The wasps lay their eggs in the provisioned nest. When the wasp larvae hatch, they feed on the paralyzed insects. [more]
Stizus
Tachysphex
Tachysphex is a very large genus of in the family Crabronidae, consisting of over 400 species. [more]
Tachytes
Tettigoniidae
Trypoxylon
At least 53 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Trypoxylon.
More info about the Genus Trypoxylon may be found here.
References
Footnotes
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Ammophila&search=Search
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Liris&search=Search
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Philia&search=Search
Sources
- The text on this page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It includes material from Wikipedia retrieved Thursday, August 13, 2009.
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