''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of
Hymenoptera of the
Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary
mud daubers 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
spider
Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species d ...
s, such as
crab spider
The Thomisidae are a family of spiders, including about 170 genera and over 2,100 species. The common name crab spider is often linked to species in this family, but is also applied loosely to many other families of spiders. Many members of t ...
s,
orb-weaver spider
Orb-weaver spiders are members of the spider family Araneidae. They are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields, and forests. The English word "orb" can mean "circular", hence the English name ...
s and
jumping spider
Jumping spiders are a group of spiders that constitute the family Salticidae. As of 2019, this family contained over 600 described genera and over 6,000 described species, making it the largest family of spiders at 13% of all species. Jumping spi ...
s in particular, as food for the developing
larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
Th ...
e. 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.
Various parasites attack these nests, including several species of
cuckoo wasp
Commonly known as cuckoo wasps or emerald wasps, the hymenopteran family Chrysididae is a very large cosmopolitan group (over 3000 described species) of parasitoid or kleptoparasitic wasps, often highly sculptured, with brilliant metallic col ...
s, primarily by sneaking into the nest while the resident mud dauber is out foraging.
As is the case with many insect genera, there are many tropical species. Some common temperate species include ''
S. caementarium'' and ''
S. curvatum''.
Like other solitary wasps, ''Sceliphron'' species are not aggressive unless threatened. They are sometimes regarded as beneficial due to their control of spider populations, though the spiders themselves may be beneficial in controlling pest insects. Species such as ''Sceliphron curvatum'' are invasive in some parts of
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
, where they have been observed to rapidly increase their range in recent years.
''Sceliphron'' species
There are 34 valid species of ''Sceliphron''.
* ''
Sceliphron arabs''
(Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1845)
* ''
Sceliphron argentifrons''
(Cresson ''Cresson'' is the wikt:cresson, French word for ''watercress''. It may refer to:
; Places
* Battle of Cresson, a small battle fought on May 1, 1187, in what now is Israel, near Nazareth
* Cresson, Pennsylvania, a United States borough
* Cressona, ...
, 1916)
* ''
Sceliphron asiaticum
''Sceliphron asiaticum'' is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae. It is native to the Neotropics, South America and the Caribbean region.
Description
The adult ''S. asiaticum'' has a black head, a black thorax with yellow ban ...
''
(Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, t ...
, 1758); Neotropics
::Type locality ''In Indiis'' was interpreted as India; syn. ''S. figulum''
* ''
Sceliphron assimile
''Sceliphron assimile'' is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae
The Sphecidae are a cosmopolitan family of wasps of the suborder Apocrita that includes sand wasps, mud daubers, and other thread-waisted wasps.
The name ...
''
( Dahlbom, 1843) – Clayman's mud dauber; Texas, Mexico and Caribbean island
* ''
Sceliphron aterrimum
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
(Marquet, 1875)
* ''
Sceliphron caementarium''
(Drury Drury may refer to:
Places
* Drury, New Zealand, a town
* Drury, Flintshire, Wales, a village
* Drury, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community
* Drury, a village in Florida, Massachusetts, United States
* Drury, Missouri, United Sta ...
, 1773) (''Sphex'') – black and yellow mud dauber, yellow-legged mud dauber, black-waisted mud dauber
::North America, established in Europe and Pacific islands by the 1970s
* ''
Sceliphron coromandelicum
''Sceliphron coromandelicum'' is a species of solitary mud dauber wasp in the family Sphecidae. The female holotype was collected in Coromandel Coast
The Coromandel Coast is the southeastern coastal region of the Indian subcontinent, boun ...
''
( Lepeletier, 1845)
* ''
Sceliphron curvatum
''Sceliphron curvatum'', also known as the Asian mud-dauber wasp, is an insect in the genus ''Sceliphron'' of the wasp family Sphecidae. Like all wasps of this genus, it is a solitary species and builds nests out of mud. ''S. curvatum'' is nativ ...
''
(Smith, 1870) – Asian mud dauber; Asia, Europe since 1970s
* ''
Sceliphron deforme
''Sceliphron deforme'' is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae
The Sphecidae are a cosmopolitan family of wasps of the suborder Apocrita that includes sand wasps, mud daubers, and other thread-waisted wasps.
The name S ...
''
(F. Smith, 1856); Asia, reported from Europe in 2004
* ''
Sceliphron destillatorium
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
( Illiger, 1807); southern Palaearctic
* ''
Sceliphron fasciatum
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
(Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1845)
* ''
Sceliphron fervens
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
(F. Smith, 1858)
* ''
Sceliphron fistularium
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
(Dahlbom, 1843); Neotropics
* ''
Sceliphron formosum''
(F. Smith, 1856); Australia
* ''
Sceliphron fossuliferum''
(Gribodo, 1895)
* ''
Sceliphron funestum
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
Kohl, 1918
* ''
Sceliphron fuscum
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
Klug, 1801
* ''
Sceliphron intrudens
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
(F. Smith, 1858)
* ''
Sceliphron isaaci
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
Jha and Farooqi, 1995
* ''
Sceliphron jamaicense''
Fabricius, 1775; Mexico, Caribbean islands
* ''
Sceliphron javanum
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
Lepeletier, 1845
* ''
Sceliphron laetum''
(F. Smith, 1856); Australia
* ''
Sceliphron madraspatanum
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
(Fabricius Fabricius ( la, smith, german: Schmied, Schmidt) is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*people from the Ancient Roman gens Fabricia:
**Gaius Fabricius Luscinus, the first of the Fabricii to move to Rome
* Johann Goldsmid (1587†...
, 1781); Mediterranean
* ''
Sceliphron murarium
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
(F. Smith, 1863)
* ''
Sceliphron neobilineatum
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
Jha and Farooqi, 1995
* ''
Sceliphron paraintrudens''
Jha and Farooqi, 1995
* ''
Sceliphron pietschmanni
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
Kohl, 1918
* ''
Sceliphron quartinae
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
(Gribodo 1884)
* ''
Sceliphron rectum''
Kohl, 1918
* ''
Sceliphron rufopictum''
(F. Smith, 1856)
* ''
Sceliphron seistaniensis''
Jha and Farooqi, 1995
* ''
Sceliphron shestakovi
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
Gussakovskij, 1928
* ''
Sceliphron spirifex
''Sceliphron spirifex'' is a species of sphecid wasp. It has a medium-sized body (), which is dull black with a long, yellow petiole (waist). The legs are black with yellow bands, the antennae are black and the wings are clear.
Females build ...
''
(Linnaeus, 1758); Africa, southern Europe
* ''
Sceliphron unifasciatum
''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...
''
(F. Smith, 1860)
See also
* ''
Chalybion''
*
Organ pipe mud dauber (''Trypoxylon politum'')
References
* Observations on the biology of ''Sceliphron spirifex'' (Linnaeus, 1758) in Romagna, Pezzi G.
*
External links
Short discussion on genus ''Sceliphron''.*
ttp://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Sphecidae Online guide to eastern North American SphecidaeDocuments how to differentiate ''Sceliphron caementarium'' from other Sphecids
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q139681
Sphecidae
Apoidea genera
Taxa named by Johann Christoph Friedrich Klug