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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Spider Wasps, Velvet Ants and allies (Pompiloidea) » Spider Wasps (Pompilidae) » Pepsinae » Tarantula-hawk Wasps and Allies (Pepsini) » Priocnessus

Genus Priocnessus

Classification · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References

Spider wasp - Priocnessus coloradensis - 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 Pompiloidea (Spider Wasps, Velvet Ants and allies)

Family Pompilidae (Spider Wasps)

Subfamily Pepsinae

Tribe Pepsini (Tarantula-hawk Wasps and Allies)

Genus Priocnessus

Numbers

6 species in North America.

Size

12-25 mm, dimorphism not quite as marked in this genus as in many other pompilid genera.

Identification

Fairly easily distinguished from other pepsines in the nearctic region:

Cubital vein of anterior wing usually reaching the wing margin.

Posterior wing with anal vein meeting medial vein at or distal the origin of the cubitus.

Clypeus very large and convex.

Range

Transcontinental as a genus. Three species are restricted to the west (P. apache, P. coloradensis, and P. nigricans). Three species are fairly widespread (P. dakota, P. nebulosus, and P. nuperus)

Habitat

Varied, from open woods and woodland edges to semi-arid grasslands, etc.

Season

In the north this genus is found mid-summer to early autumn (approximately June to September). They have a longer flight period in the south.

Food

They apparently rarely visit flowers. They provision nests with Agelenid spiders.

Life Cycle

One generation per year in northern states.

See Also

Most similar to other large pepsine genera: Entypus and Cryptocheilus. Priocnemis minorata and Priocnessus nebulosus are superficially similar but date is usually sufficient to separate them.

Print References

Townes, H.K. 1957. Nearctic wasps of the subfamilies pepsinae and ceropalinae. U.S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 209: 1-286. (descriptions, distribution, keys) (Relevant Section)

Krombein, K.V. 1979. Pompilidae, pp. 1527-1528. In Krombein, K.V., P.D. Hurd, Jr., D.R. Smith, and B.D. Burks, eds. Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico. Vol. 2 Apocrita (Aculeata). Smithsonian Inst. Press, Washington, D.C.

Contributed by Nick Fensler on 14 July, 2006 - 9:16pm
Additional contributions by Aaron Schusteff, Nathaniel Green
Last updated 16 February, 2021 - 5:58pm

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