Genus Astata

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Food · Life Cycle · Print References · Works Cited

Acts like a wasp - looks like a fly - 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

Genus Astata

Explanation of Names

Astata Latreille 1796

Greek astatos 'restless'.

Numbers

14 spp. in our area(1), 80 spp. worldwide(2)

Size

10-16 mm

Identification

Compact sphecids, with large eyes. Males have "wrap-around" (holoptic) eyes. Two widespread eastern species: A. unicolor is all black, A. bicolor has red abdomen, though there may be sexual differences in coloration as well.

Astata can be distinguished from the other nearctic Astatinae genera by having the posterior edge of the 2nd submarginal cell as long or longer than that of 1st submarginal cell (in Dryudella and Diploplectron the 2nd submarginal is shorter than the 1st)(3)

Food

Pentatomidae nymphs(4)

Life Cycle

Nest in burrows in soil, each burrow with several chambers(5)

Print References

Parker F.D. (1962) On the subfamily Astatinae, with a systematic study of the genus Astata of America North of Mexico (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). Ann. Ent. Soc. Am. 55: 643-659.

Works Cited

1.	Ascher J.S., Pickering J. (2017) Discover Life bee species guide and world checklist (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila)

2.	Catalog of Sphecidae sensu lato

3.	Sphecid wasps of the world: a generic revision Richard Mitchell Bohart, Arnold S. Menke. 1976. University of California Press.

4.	Solitary Wasps: Behavior and Natural History (Cornell Series in Arthropod Biology) Kevin M. O'Neill. 2000. Comstock Publishing.

5.	Wasp Farm Howard Ensign Evans. 1963. Comstock Publishing.

Contributed by Richard Leung on 7 October, 2004 - 7:44pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Beatriz Moisset, Aaron Schusteff, v belov
Last updated 10 October, 2017 - 10:08pm

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