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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Apoidea sans Anthophila – Apoid Wasps » Square-headed Wasps, Sand Wasps, and Allies (Crabronidae) » Philanthinae

Subfamily Philanthinae

Representative Images

Crabronid - Cerceris fumipennis - female 8016769 - Philanthus politus - female Small bee - Cerceris - female Philanthinae wasp - Cerceris This beewolf: Philanthus who? - Philanthus multimaculatus Philanthus gibbosus? - Philanthus ventilabris Bee wolf or weevil wasp? - Cerceris clypeata - female Cerceris californica - 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)
No Taxon (Apoidea sans Anthophila – Apoid Wasps)
Family Crabronidae (Square-headed Wasps, Sand Wasps, and Allies)
Subfamily Philanthinae

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

CA fauna revised in (1)

Explanation of Names

Philanthinae Latreille 1802

Numbers

155 spp. in 6 genera of 3 tribes in our area (of which ~90 Cerceris spp.)(2), 1143 spp. in 9 genera of 4 tribes worldwide (of which ~900 Cerceris spp.)(3)

Size

body 12-18 mm

Identification

Digger wasps of medium size, usually black with yellow markings. They have a constriction between the first and second abdominal segments. One apical spur on middle tibia. Forewing with 3 submarginal cells.

Food

nests provisioned with bees (in the Philanthini), ants (Aphilanthopini), or beetles (Cercerini)

Works Cited

1.California wasps of the subfamily Philanthinae (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)
Bohart R.M., Grissell E.E. 1975. Bull. Calif. Insect Survey 19: 1-92.
2.Ascher J.S., Pickering J. (2024) Discover Life bee species guide and world checklist (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila)
3.Pulawski W.J. (2003-) Catalog of Sphecidae sensu lato (Apoidea excluding Apidae)
Contributed by Richard Leung on 8 March, 2005 - 10:55pm
Additional contributions by john and jane balaban, Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod, v belov
Last updated 4 February, 2022 - 5:03pm

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