1523 



Superfamily POMPILOIDEA 



By Karl V. Krombein 



This superfamily includes two families, the very large and abundant Pompilidae and the very 

 small and rare Rhopalosomatidae. 



Members of the Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps because they prey exclusively 

 on spiders. Only a single larger spider is stored per cell, rather than a number of smaller spiders 

 as in the spider-preying sphecoid genera such as Trypoxylon, Trypargilum and Sceliphron. The 

 majority of species, including the more primitive forms, capture the spider before preparing a 

 burrow in the soil. Some Pepsinae make multicellular nests in pre-existing cavities in twigs or in 

 the ground, and some build individual mud cells which may be joined in a series; in both types 

 the cell is constructed before the spider is captured. Some genera, such as Pepsis, may use the 

 burrow of the prey spider as a nesting site. The peculiar genus Minagenia is a spider ec- 

 toparasite. 



The Rhopalosomatidae are ectoparasites of nymphal crickets. 



Family POMPILIDAE 



The entire pompihd fauna of America north of Mexico has been adequately monographed in 

 recent years by Bradley, Evans, Hurd and Townes. References will be found under the headings 

 Pepsinae, Pepsis, Aporini, Pompilinae, Pompilini, and Ceropalinae. 



Taxonomy: Ashmead, 1900-1902. Canad. Ent. 32: 145-155, 185-188, 295-296; 34: 79-88, 131-137 

 (keys to world genera). -Banks, 1912 (1911). N. Y. Ent. Soc, Jour. 19: 219-237 (eastern 

 species). —Banks, 1919. Mus. Compar. ZooL, Bui. 63: 229-248 (western species). — Brimley, 

 1936. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc, Jour. 52: 107-131 (N. C. species). —Pate, 1946. Amer. Ent. 

 See, Trans. 72: 65-137 (generic names and type-species). — Dreisbach, 1948 (1946). Mich. 

 Acad. Sci., Arts, and Letters, Papers 32: 239-247 (key to Mich, genera). —Dreisbach, 1949. 

 Mich. Acad. Sci., Arts, and Letters, Papers 33: 63-71 (American genera). —Evans, 1959. 

 Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 52: 430-444, 51 figs, (larva). Except for Evans' paper on larvae, the 

 foregoing references are obsolete for identification purposes; they are superseded by the 

 revisionary papers cited under several of the following subfamily, tribal and generic 

 headings. 



Biology: Evans, 1953. Syst. Zool. 2: 155-172 (comparative ethology). —Evans and Yoshimoto, 

 1962. Ent. Soc. Amer., Misc. Pub. 3: 65-119 (ecology, nesting behavior and prey of 

 northeastern spp.). — Kurczewski and Kurczewski, 1968. Kans. Ent. Soc, Jour. 41: 24-33 

 (prey selection factors). 



Subfamily PEPSINAE 



Revision: Townes, 1957. U. S. Natl. Mus., Bui. 209: 1-220, 129 figs. 



