Species Pachodynerus nasidens - Keyhole Wasp

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · See Also · Works Cited

Mason of some sort? - Pachodynerus nasidens

dark Wasp with yellow abdominal bands - Pachodynerus nasidens

P. nasidens from the toes of Organ Mts - Pachodynerus nasidens - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)

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

Superfamily Vespoidea (Yellowjackets and Hornets, Paper Wasps; Potter, Mason and Pollen Wasps and allies)

Family Vespidae (Yellowjackets and Hornets, Paper Wasps; Potter, Mason and Pollen Wasps)

Subfamily Eumeninae (Potter and Mason Wasps)

Genus Pachodynerus

Species nasidens (Keyhole Wasp)

Other Common Names

Keyhole Wasp (note: this name may also be applied to various cavity-nesting species of Eumeninae and Trypoxylon)

Explanation of Names

Pachodynerus nasidens (Latreille 1812)

nasidens = from the Latin nāsī ('nose') + dēns ('tooth')

Size

8-12 mm(1)

Identification

Not readily distinguishable from P. pulverulentus, with which it co-occurs in TX & AZ. Separating the two requires comparison of the density of punctation on the second segment of the abdomen (P. nasidens has punctation throughout the segment, decreasing in density towards the anterior, whereas P. pulverulentus has punctation restricted toward the posterior margin).

P. nasidens (left) versus P. pulverulentus (right)

Range

so US (AZ, s. TX, s. FL) to South America; introduced in S. Pacific islands(2)

See Also

Brachygastra mellifica has a much shorter and narrower first gastral segment. Range: c. TX to tropics

Hoplitimyia mutabilis (Syrphidae) - as a fly, has the hind wings modified as halteres. Range: AZ, TX-FL

Works Cited

1.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.

2.	The genus Pachodynerus in North America (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) Carpenter J.M. 1986. Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. 88: 572-577.

Contributed by Sean McCann on 18 April, 2007 - 3:46pm
Additional contributions by Matthias Buck, Mike Quinn, v belov, PaleoJon
Last updated 9 June, 2022 - 10:38pm

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