Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Subfamily Astatinae

Perhaps a male Dryudella? - Dryudella Wasp - Diploplectron Wasp with Stinkbug Prey  - Astata - female Astata Short Redbelly Wasp - Astata - female Crabronidae - Astata? - Astata Small black wasp Astata sp? - Astata Black wasp Sep 3 - Astata
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 Astatinae
Explanation of Names
Astatinae Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau 1845
Numbers
37 spp. in 3 genera in our area(1), >150 spp. in 4 genera total(2)
Identification
Males of Astata and Dryudella can be distinguished from Diploplectron by their holoptic eyes, while male Dryudella are distinguished from male Astata by malar space longer than mid-ocellar diameter and submarginal cell 1 shorter than 2 along their posterior edges.
Females have dichoptic eyes; Astata females have stout spines at edge of pygidial plate (spineless in Dryudella & Diploplectron) and submarginal cell 2 as long as or longer than 1 (shorter in Dryudella and Diploplectron)(3)
Range
In our area, most spp. are western; a few, transcontinental(1)
Food
larvae provisioned with heteropteran nymphs/adults, incl. Pentatomidae, Cydnidae, Scutelleridae, Lygaeidae, Reduviidae, Alydidae, and Rhopalidae(3)