|
Spheciformes
The Spheciformes is a paraphyletic assemblage of insect families which collectively comprise the "sphecoid wasps", and includes about 10,000 species and several hundred genera. The largest genus is '' Cerceris'' (Philanthidae), with almost 900 species. Larvae are carnivorous, consuming prey captured by adult females and typically paralyzed with venom, provisioned in underground nests. Spheciformes includes all the members of the superfamily Apoidea which are not bees and which in older classifications were called the "Sphecoidea". The group includes familiar types of wasps such as mud daubers, digger wasps, sand wasps, cicada killers, and cockroach wasps. The group is paraphyletic because bees are believed to have arisen from a subgroup within the family Ammoplanidae Ammoplanidae is a family of aphid wasps formerly treated as the Crabronidae subtribe Ammoplanina. There are about 10 genera and at least 130 described species in Ammoplanina. Phylogenetic analyses in 2018 an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ampulex Compressa
The emerald cockroach wasp or jewel wasp (''Ampulex compressa'') is a solitary wasp of the family Ampulicidae. It is known for its unusual reproductive behavior, which involves stinging a cockroach and using it as a host for its larvae. It thus belongs to the entomophagous parasites. Distribution The wasp is mostly found in the tropical regions of Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific islands. The flying wasps are more abundant in the warm seasons of the year. ''A. compressa'' was introduced to Hawaii by F.X. Williams in 1941 as a method of biocontrol. This has been unsuccessful because of the territorial tendencies of the wasp and the small scale on which they hunt. The species is also found in the Brazilian states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. ''A. compressa'' likely arrived in the country through the ports of Santos and Rio de Janeiro. Description The wasp has a metallic blue-green body, with the thighs of the second and third pair of legs red. The f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cicada Killer
Cicada killer wasps (genus ''Sphecius'') are large, solitary, ground-dwelling, predatory wasps. They are so named because they hunt cicadas and provision their nests with them, after stinging and paralyzing them. Twenty-one species worldwide are recognized. The highest diversity occurs in the region between North Africa and Central Asia. In North America, the term "cicada killer wasp" usually refers to the most well-known species, the eastern cicada killer (''S. speciosus''). A few other related genera also are sometimes referred to as "cicada killers", e.g. ''Liogorytes'' in South America and ''Exeirus'' in Australia. The use of cicadas as prey is in keeping with the typical behavior of the tribe Bembicini, which tend to specialize on various members of the Cicadomorpha as prey items. Species This list of species is probably complete as of March 31, 2009. It has been adapted from thCatalog of ''Sphecius'' species(California Academy of Sciences). Notable subspecies are also gi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |