Explanation of Names
Di-(two) pogon (beard) referring to the curved fascicles of hair-like setae on the maxilla of females.
Numbers
20 species in three subgenera, Deuteragenia, Dipogon, and Winnemanella.
Size
3-12 mm. Some species in the subgenus Dipogon are among the smallest of pompilids.
Identification
Identified within the pepsinae by the following suite of characters: smooth dorsal edge of hind tibia in both sexes, females have a fascicle of long, curved hairs on each side of the maxilla that often curves forward to meet the mandibles, mandibles with two teeth on the inner margin (Townes counted apical point as a tooth and therefore states three teeth).
The color of the maxillary beard and the length of the second submarginal cell compared to the third separates the subgenus Dipogon from the subgenus Deuteragenia. Dipogon has a white or stramineous "beard" and Deuteragenia has a blackish or brownish "beard". In Deuteragenia the second submarginal cell is about as long as the third, it's longer in Dipogon.
Range
Transcontinental. Several species are restricted and/or poorly known.
Habitat
Nearly all are silvicolous or at least found near woods.
Season
Many species are typically found during most of the warm season from May through September.
Food
This genus very infrequently visits flowers, but I have captured D. sayi sayi from Daucus carota. Females of this genus will provision nests with almost any common family of spider. Records of prey families are generally more restricted for individual species.
Life Cycle
Many of the common species are multivoltine. This information is poorly known for some species. This genus (in species that have been observed) nests in borings or other crevices in wood.
Remarks
This genus has rather cryptic habits and some are poorly studied. Several species were discovered after the revision by Townes in 1957 but are listed in Krombein et al. (1979) (see below). The only one not listed in this literature was described in 1987 by Howard Evans, D. lignicolus.
See Also
Priocnemis bears a superficial resemblance to this genus. See also
Print References
Townes, H.K. 1957. Nearctic wasps of the subfamilies pepsinae and ceropalinae. U.S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 209: 1-286.(species descriptions, keys work for most eastern species, distribution).
Krombein, K.V. 1979. Pompilidae, pp. 1533-1536. In Krombein, K.V., P.D. Hurd, Jr., D.R. Smith, and B.D. Burks, eds. Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico. Vol. 2 Apocrita (Aculeata). Smithsonian Inst. Press, Washington, D.C. (more complete list of species, prey records, distribution)
Contributed by
Richard Leung on 4 October, 2004 - 9:59pm
Additional contributions by
NFenslerLast updated 13 July, 2006 - 9:03pm
