Numbers
14 spp. in our area (all
Pseudomasaris), ~300 spp. in 14 genera of 2 tribes total
(1)Identification
Yellow (or white) and black. FW with only two submarginal cells. Clubbed antennae are distinctive.
Range
worldwide; in NA, western
(1)Food
larvae (unlike those of other vespids) feed on pollen and nectar
Life Cycle
The females make nests of mud or sand attached to twigs or rocks. They provision the nests with pollen and nectar and lay their eggs. The eggs hatch into larvae that eat the provisions, then pupate and emerge as adults.
Print References
Bradley J.C. (1922) The taxonomy of the Masarid wasps, including a monograph of the North American species. UC Publ. Entomol. 1: 369-464. (
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