Subfamily Bembicinae

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Numbers · Identification · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Don't know....but loves the sand - Sphecius speciosus

Eastern Cicada Killer - Sphecius speciosus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)

No Taxon (Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps)

No Taxon (Apoid Wasps (Apoidea)- traditional Sphecidae)

Family Crabronidae

Subfamily Bembicinae

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

formerly subfamily Nyssoninae in family Sphecidae; renamed Bembicinae and transferred to family Crabronidae - see PDF doc by Pulawski in Internet References section below

includes 3 tribes (Alyssontini, Bembicini, Nyssonini) and several subtribes within Bembicini

Numbers

1,708 species in the world

Identification

Nearly all these wasps have the mesonotum expanded laterally into laminae that more or less overlie the bases of the tegulae, and the jugal lobe of the hind wing is shorter than the submedian cell; all except Bembecini have two apical spurs on the middle tibiae. FW with three submarginal cells.

Food

Most species prey on Homoptera but several species are kleptoparasitic on other Bembicinae.

Life Cycle

All species are ground-nesters.

Remarks

The older classification is shown at Insects of Cedar Creek; it used the name Nyssoninae and recognized 6 tribes.

Print References

Borror & White, p. 352 (1)

(2)p.688.

Internet References

classification; PDF doc of superfamily Apoidea (Wojciech Pulawski, 2006, California Academy of Sciences)

number of species worldwide (California Academy of Sciences)

California Bembicine Sand Wasps U.C. Berkeley, PDF document.

Works Cited

1.	A Field Guide to Insects By Richard E. White, Donald J. Borror, Roger Tory Peterson

2.	Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects By Norman F. Johnson, Charles A. Triplehorn

Contributed by Richard Leung on 8 March, 2005 - 10:53pm
Additional contributions by Mike Boone, Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod
Last updated 19 September, 2007 - 6:30pm

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