Tribe Pepsini - Tarantula-hawk Wasps and Allies

Classification · Other Common Names · Numbers · Identification · Works Cited

Honey bee sized Spiderwasp - Cryptocheilus

Spider wasp (spider hawk) - Pepsis mildei - male

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 Pompiloidea (Spider Wasps, Velvet Ants and allies)

Family Pompilidae (Spider Wasps)

Subfamily Pepsinae

Tribe Pepsini (Tarantula-hawk Wasps and Allies)

Other Common Names

Tarantula-hawk Wasp tribe

Note: only Pepsis and Hemipepsis are actually tarantula-hawk species. All other members of the genus hunt other spiders, such as wolf spiders, fishing spiders, folding-door spiders, etc.

Numbers

~100 spp. in 10 genera in our area(1)

Identification

1-4. Wing venation of Pepsis, Hemipepsis, Entypus, and Calopompilus. In Pepsis, 1m-cu meets S2 at or before the basal 1/3, with the cells constricting and having their margin more at the side rather than below. It is also the only genus with a rounded marginal cell (M). In Hemipepsis, 1m-cu meets S2 within the distal 1/10, resulting in M1 being very elongate. In Entypus, 1m-cu meets S2 at around the distal 1/4. In Calopompilus, 1m-cu meets S2 near its midpoint and 2m-cu is frequently straight.

5. Additional wing venation of Cryptocheilus. Note that 1m-cu meets S2 near its midpoint and 2m-cu is frequently bent. (There has been some discussion as to whether this should be a senior synonym for Entypus.(2))

1m-cu = 1st recurrent vein 2m-cu = 2nd recurrent vein; S2 = submarginal cell; M1 = first medial or discoidal cell; 2r-m = second intercubital vein

Works Cited

1.	Pitts J.P. et al. (2013) The pompilid project

2.	-

Contributed by Nick Fensler on 24 May, 2011 - 7:20am
Additional contributions by cotinis, v belov, PaleoJon
Last updated 16 September, 2021 - 4:50am

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