THE INSECTS OF CEDAR CREEK

Cedar Creek
Natural History Area

Insects of Cedar Creek

Order HYMENOPTERA

Family POMPILIDAE

(Spider Wasps)

(Table of Species)

Spider Wasps (288 NA species) are common in field, savanna, and woodland. Most species are black (some with orange), and they have a transverse furrow across the mesopleuron. These species frenetically search the ground or vegetation for spiders to provision their soil burrows. The spider is usually dragged to the burrow, and it is generally only one prey item per nest. Members of a few genera (Ceropales, Evagetes) are kleptoparasites--depositing eggs in nests provisioned by other spider wasps. The Klepto larva kills the host larva and then consumes the spider. More than 25 species have been collected, but this family is difficult for me taxonomically, and others are likely to occur here. Three subfamilies are recognized.

PEPSINAE
This subfamily includes the familiar Tarantula Hawks of TV fame. Most species occur in the Southwest. They have a transverse groove across the second abdominal sternite. Most of the CCNHA species in this subfamily occur in woodland. They include: Dipogon sayi, Priocnemis spp (notha, scitula, ++), Calicurgus hyalinatus, Auplopus sp, and Phanagenia bombycina.

POMPILINAE
Species in this subfamily are recognized by a pocket in the discal cell of the forewing. Most occur in open areas. Species collected include: Aporinellus fasciatus, Anoplius spp (ventralis, illinoiensis, virginiensis), Arachnophroctonus spp (marginatus, relativus), Pompilinus spp (cylindricus, insolens, marginatus, splendens), Episyron spp (biguttatus, quinquenotatus), Evagetes spp (ingenuus, hyacinthinus, parvus), Poecilopompilus algidus, Pompilus spp, Sericopompilus apicalis, and Ammosphex sp.

CEROPALINAE
Members of the genus Ceropales spp (longipes, maculata) are colorful black-and-yellow wasps with tarsal claws sharply bent. Kleptoparasitic adults have been taken on Umbelliferae. Minagenia clypeata has also been collected.

jhaar@lter.umn.edu