Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Vespoidea » Hornets, Yellowjackets; Paper, Potter, Mason, and Pollen Wasps; and Allies (Vespidae) » Potter and Mason Wasps (Eumeninae) » Zethus

Genus Zethus

Potter Wasp - Zethus spinipes - female pollens for lunch - Zethus spinipes interesting wasp on Horse Mint - Zethus spinipes wasp sp. - Zethus slossonae Zethus spinipes Zethus slossonae - female Zethus spinipes spinipes - Zethus spinipes potter wasp - Zethus spinipes
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 Vespoidea
Family Vespidae (Hornets, Yellowjackets; Paper, Potter, Mason, and Pollen Wasps; and Allies)
Subfamily Eumeninae (Potter and Mason Wasps)
Genus Zethus
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Sometimes placed in its own subfamily, Zethidae
Explanation of Names
Zethus Fabricius 1804
a Greek mythological name. Zethus one of the twin sons of Zeus and Antiope who were raised by shepherds and built the walls of Thebes in its founding myth. Zethus was also associated with agriculture and hunting.
Numbers
6 spp. in our area(1)(2); by far the largest genus of Eumeninae, with nearly 250 described species worldwide(3)
1. Zethus aztecus Saussure, 1857: TX
2. Zethus guerreroi arizonensis Zavattari, 1913: AZ, NM
3. Zethus miscogaster Saussure, 1852: AZ, TX
4. Zethus montezuma Saussure, 1857: TX
5. Zethus slossonae Fox, 1892: FL
6. Zethus spinipes Say, 1837: widespread eastern US
Size
13-18 mm
Range
mainly neotropical, with some representation in the Nearctic (only one sp. ranges beyond southernmost US); also Old World tropics(1)(3)
Print References
(4)
Internet References
Fact sheet (Grissell 2013)(5)
Works Cited
1.Identification Atlas of the Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) of the Northeastern Nearctic Region
Matthias Buck, Stephen A. Marshall, and David K. B. Cheung. 2008. Biological Survey of Canada [Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification].
2.Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico
Karl V. Krombein, Paul D. Hurd, Jr., David R. Smith, and B. D. Burks. 1979. Smithsonian Institution Press.
3.Vespidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Puerto Rico, West Indies
Carpenter J.M., Genaro J.A. 2011. Insecta Mundi 0202: 1-35.
4.Ecology and taxonomy of Lower Rio Grande Valley Zethus
Porter C.C. 1978. Fla. Entomol. 61: 159-168.
5.University of Florida: Featured Creatures
Contributed by Cotinis on 7 September, 2004 - 12:43pm
Additional contributions by Tom Bentley, Beatriz Moisset, Matthias Buck, v belov, PaleoJon
Last updated 20 April, 2022 - 6:13pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo