Superfamily SPHECOIDEA 1577 



Biology: Rau, 1937. Ent. News 48: 91-93 (nest, prey, life history). — Krombein, 1958. Amer. 

 Ent. Soc, Trans. 84: 147-149 (nest, prey, life history, parasite). —Krombein, 1967. 

 Trap-nesting wasps and bees, pp. 251-255, figs. 62, 63 (nest, prey, life history, parasites, 

 predator). —Krombein, 1970. Smithsn. Contrib. Zool. 46: 12-22, figs. 40-61 (nest behavior, 

 prey, life history). 



Genus CHALYBION Dahlbom 



Chalybion Dahlbom, 1843. Hym. Europaea, v. 1, p. 21. 



Type-species: Sphex cyanea Fabricius. Desig. by Patton, 1880. 

 Chalybium Agassiz, 1847. Nomencl. Zool., p. 77. Emend. 

 Chalybium Schulz, 1906. Spolia Hym., p. 192. Emend. 



Only the typical subgenus occurs in North America. These wasps nest in pre-existing cavities, 

 most commonly in abandoned nests of mud-daubers, but also in holes in wood, bamboo and plant 

 stems, and crevices in walls. There is one atypical record of califomicum opening a sealed nest 

 oi Sceliphron caevientarium (Dru.), the black and yellow mud-dauber, extracting the enclosed 

 spiders, and restocking the nest with its own spiders. 



Revision: Kohl, 1918. K. K. Naturhist. Hofmus. Ann. 32: 1-171 (World spp.). — Hutson, 1919. 

 Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 45: 203-227 (N. Amer. spp.). 



californicum (Saussure). Transcontinental in U. S., B. C, northern Mexico; adventive in 

 Hawaii and Bermuda. Ecology: Nests in abandoned mud nests o{ Sceliphron 

 caementarium (Dru.). Parasite: Anthrax liynatulus artemisia Marst., S phaeropthalma 

 (S.) a. auripilis (BL). Prey: Latrodechis mactans (F.) most commonly, Asagena 

 americana Em., Enoplognatha puritana Chamb. and Ivie, Theridion iepidarionim 

 (Koch), T.frondeum Hentz, T. austrctle Bks., Steatoda borealis (Hentz); Neoscona sp., 

 Epeira foliata (Fourcr.), Araneus sp., Gea heptagon (Hentz); Misumeninae sp., 

 Thomisidae spp.; Oxyopes scalaris Hentz, Oxyopidae sp.; Paraphidippus marginatus 

 (Walck.), Salticidae sp. 



Sphex caerulea Linnaeus, 1763. Centuria Ins. Rar., p. 30. Preocc. 



Sphex cyanea Fabricius, 1775. Systema Ent., No. 5, p. 346. Preocc. 



Pelopoeus {Chalybion) califortiicus Saussure, 1867. Reise d. Novara, Zool, v. 2, Hym., p. 

 26. 



Taxonomy: Rau, 1915. Psyche 22: 62-63 (cocoon). —Evans and Lin, 1956. Amer. Ent. Soc, 

 Trans. 81: 149, figs. 67, 68 (larva). 



Biology: Peckham and Peckham, 1898. Wis. Geol. Nat. Hist. Survey, Bui. 2 (Sci. Ser. 1): 



176-199 (nest, prey). —Peckham and Peckham, 1905. Wasps Social and Solitary, pp. 265-274 

 (nest, prey). —Rau, 1915. Ent. News 26: 469-471 (number of generations per year). —Rau, 

 1928. Ent. Soc Amer., Ann. 21: 25-35 (nesting habits). —Rau, 1928. Acad. Sci. St. Louis, 

 Trans. 25: 443-448 (nesting habits). —Rau, 1935. Ent. News 46: 259-260 (prey). —Irving 

 and Hinman, 1935. Science 82: 395-396 (prey). — Muma and Jeffers, 1945. Ent. Soc. Amer., 

 Ann. 38: 245-255 (prey). —Ward, 1972. Ind. Acad. Sci., Proc 81: 177-181 (sleeping 

 aggregations). 



Morphology: Snodgrass, 1941. Smithsn. Inst., Misc. Collect. 99, no. 14: 50, pi. 23, figs. H, J, L 

 (male genitaHa). 

 zimmermanni aztecum (Saussure). Western Tex. to Ariz., Utah; Mexico to Costa Rica, Clarion 

 Is. Ecology: Nests in old mud nests of Sceliphron assimile (Dahlb.). Parasite: Anthrax 

 pluricellus Will. 

 Pelopetis (!) aztecus Saussure, 1867. Reise der Ost. Freg. Novara, Zool. 2: 26. 6. 

 Sceliphron (Chalybion) mo^istrosum Kohl, 1918. K. K. Naturhist. Hofmus., Ann. 32: 61. 6. 



Biology: Rau, 1940. Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 33: 591 (nests, parasite). —Rau, 1942. Canad. Ent. 

 74: 196 (sleeping aggregation). 

 zimmermanni zimmermanni Dahlbom. Tenn., N. C, Fla. to eastern Tex., Ind.; Hispaniola. 

 Ecology: Nests in borings in wood and in old mud nests of Sceliphron caementarium 

 (Dru.). Parasite: Melittobia chalybii Ashm. Prey: Araneus spp., Argiope aurantia Luc, 



