Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps)
Superfamily Vespoidea (Ants, Stinging Wasps, and Hornets)
Family Vespidae (Yellowjackets, Paper Wasps, and Hornets; Potter, Mason and Pollen Wasps)
Subfamily Masarinae (Pollen Wasps)
Genus Pseudomasaris
Numbers
Nearctica lists 14 species.
Identification
Clubbed antennae and wing veination with two submarginal cells (rather than the three of other Vespid wasps).
Range
Western North America, but have not been found north of 50 degrees North latitude (see Gess, (1)
Habitat
Semiarid to arid areas where preferred plants occur.
Food
Mainly oligolectic, favoring Phacelia , Eriodictyon (both Hydrophyllaceae s.s.), or Penstemon species. Adults may take nectar from plants of some other families, but females provision offspring with a mixture of pollen and nectar. (from Gess (1)
Remarks
According to Rob Longair: Masarine wasps in North America tend to be limited to mid-elevations in the west and are often very restricted in seasonality, appearing over a few weeks in early- to mid-summer where I've seen them (Colorado and Alberta). They form mud nests on rocks and these are incredibly hard to find
Print References
Richards, O.W. The Species Pseudomasaris Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Masaridae). U.C. Press. 1963
