Superfamily SPHECOIDEA 1627 



mergus Fox. N. J. to Fla. west to Nebr. and Ariz.; Mexico. Ecology: Nests in pure sand with 

 high water table, constructs 1-3 cells per nest, and stores 6-13 small prey per cell. 

 Parasite: Phrosinella fulvicornis (Coq.). Prey: Tridactylus apicalis Say, T. minutus 

 Scudd.; mostly nymphs but a few adults may be used. 



Tachytes mergus Fox, 1892. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 19: 250. 9. 



Tachytes minor Rohwer, 1909. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 35: 127. S. 



Tachytes obscuranus Rohwer, 1909. Ent. News 20: 205. 9, (d misdet.). 



Tachyoides ariella Banks, 1942. Mus. Compar. Zool., Bui. 89: 434. 9 . 



Taxonomy: Krombein, 1948. Brooklyn Ent. Soc, Bui. 43: 18-20. 3. —Evans, 1964. Amer. Ent. 

 Soc, Trans. 90: 287-288, figs. 85-87 (larva). 



Biology: Krombein and Kurczewski, 1963. Biol. Soc. Wash., Proc 76: 143-150, figs. 1-3 (nest, 

 prey hunting and transport, egg, life cycle, parasites). —Kurczewski, 1966. Kans. Ent. Soc, 

 Jour. 39: 147-154, figs. 1, 3, 4 (nest, prey hunt and transport). 



Genus TACHYSPHEX Kohl 



Tachysphex Kohl, 1883. Deut. Ent. Ztschr. 27: 166. 



Type-species: Tachysphex filicomis Kohl. Desig. by Bingham, 1897. 

 Schistosphex Arnold, 1922. Transvaal Mus., Ann. 9: 137. 



Type-species: Schistosphex Breijeri Arnold. Orig. desig. 

 Atelosphex Arnold, 1923. Transvaal Mus., Ann. 9: 177. 



Type-species: Atelosphex miscophoides Arnold. Orig. desig. 



Members of this genus are ground-nesting and usually construct shallow, multicellular nests in 

 which one or several prey are stored per cell. All authenticated prey records are for various 

 kinds of Orthoptera including grasshoppers, mantids, cockroaches, crickets and katydids. In 

 America north of Mexico members of the Pompiliformis and Terminatus Groups prey mostly 

 upon Acrididae and occasionally use Tettigoniidae, one member of the Undatus Group uses 

 Acrididae, two members of the Brullii Group use Blattidae or Tettigoniidae respectively, and 

 one member of the JuUiani Group uses Mantidae. 



Revision: Fox, 1894 (1893). Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Proc. 45: 504-533 (N. Amer. spp.). 



Taxonomy: Kurczewski, 1971. Ent. Soc. Wash., Proc. 73: 113-114 (key to Fla. spp.). 



Biology: Kurczewski, 1966. Kans. Ent. Soc, Jour. 39: 436-453, 9 figs, (comparative male 

 behavior). 



Species Group Pompiliformis 



acutus (Patton). East. States north to N. B., Ont., Man., west to S. Dak., Kans., south to N. C. 

 Larra acuta Patton, 1881. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., Proc. 20: 390. 9. 

 Tachysphex bniesi Rohwer, 1911. U. S. Natl. Mus., Proc. 40: 577. 9. 

 aethiops (Cresson). West. States north to B. C., N. W. T. and Sask., south to Calif, and Colo. 

 Ecology: Constructs nest in sand off side of burrow of Bembix, up to 3 cells per nest, 

 provides 1 prey per nest. Parasite: Diptera sp. Prey: Trimerotropis suffusa Scudd.?, T. 

 sp., Acrididae sp. Predator: Philanthus pulcher D. T., P. zebratus nitens (Bks.). 

 Larrada aethiops Cresson, 1865. Ent. Soc. Phila., Proc. 4: 465. 9 . 



Biology: Evans, 1970. Mus. Compar. Zool., Bui. 140: 489-490 (nest, prey, parasite). —Evans, 

 1973. Great Basin Nat. 33: 149-150 (nest, prey). — Alcock, 1973. Wasmann Jour. Biol. 31: 

 329, fig. 5 (nest, prey). 



amplus Fox. West. States north to Oreg. and Wyo., south to Calif, and Tex.; Mexico 

 (Zacatecas). 



Tachysphex amplus Fox, 1894 (1893). Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Proc. 45: 522. 9, <S. 



Tachysphex gillettei Rohwer, 1911. U. S. Natl. Mus., Proc. 40: 571. 9. 



Tachysphex neomexicanus Rohwer, 1911. U. S. Natl. Mus., Proc. 40: 575. 9. 

 angularis Mickel. Nebr. (Sioux Co.). 



Tachysphex angularis Mickel, 1916. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 42: 416. 6. 



