1582 Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico 



Genus ISODONTIA Subgenus ISODONTIA Patton 



Isodontia Patton, 1881. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. Proc. 20: 380. 



Type-species: Sphex philadelphica Lepeletier. Orig. desig. 

 Leontosphex Arnold, 1945. Sphecidae of Madagascar, p. 90. 

 Type-species: Sphex leonmus Saussure. Monotypic. 

 apicalis (Smith). N. J. to Fla., west to Tex., Tenn., Nebr., Ariz. 



Sphex apicalis Smith, 1856. Cat. Hym. Brit. Mus., v. 4, p. 262. 9. 

 Isodontia macrocephala var. cinerea Fernald, 1903. Canad. Ent. 35: 271. 

 Chlorion (Isodontia) harrisi Fernald, 1906. U. S. Natl. Mus., Proc. 31: 359. N. name. 

 exornata Fernald. N. C. to Fla., west to Tex. 



Isodontia exornata Fernald, 1903. Canad. Ent. 35: 270. 9. 

 philadelphica (Lepeletier). Eastern states, N. Y. to Kans., south to Fla. and Tex., Ariz., Calif.; 

 Mexico. Ecology: Nests in cavities in log, and in rotten limb. Parasite: Amobia 

 floridensis (Tns.). Prey: Orocharis sp. 

 Sphex philadelphica Lepeletier, 1845. Hist. Nat. Ins., Hym., v. 3, p. 340. 9. 

 Sphex (Isodontia) macrocephaius Fox, 1890. Ent. News 1: 137. 9. 

 Sphex aztecus var. digueti Berland, 1927. Paris Mus. d'Hist. Nat., Bui. 32: 283. 9. 



Taxonomy: Evans and Lin, 1956. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 81: 143, figs. 29, 30 (larva; misdet. 



as azteca Sauss.). 



Biology: Bohart and Menke, 1963. Univ. Calif. Pubs. Ent. 30: 135 (nest). — Krombein, 1967. 

 Trap-nesting wasps and bees, p. 239 (nest). 



Genus ISODONTIA Subgenus MURRAYELLA Bohart and Menke 



Isodontia Subg. Murrayella Bohart and Menke, 1963. Univ. Calif. Pubs. Ent. 30: 137. 

 Type-species: Sphex elegans Smith. Orig. desig. 



Species of this subgenus are sometimes called "grass carrier" wasps because they use grass 

 stems and blades to form partitions between cells and to make the closing plug in their nests in 

 cavities in wood, plants and even abandoned bee burrows in clay banks. Other plant materials, 

 such as the fibrous inner bark of certain trees and Spanish moss, are also used in nest construc- 

 tion. Our three species show an interesting evolutionary development in nest structure; elegans 

 always makes individual cells separated by partitions, mexicana sometimes makes similar nests 

 but usually constructs just one larger brood chamber in which several larvae develop without 

 cannibalism, and auripes always makes a nest in which there is just a brood chamber. Our spe- 

 cies provision their nests with both Gryllidae and Tettigoniidae, but gryllids of the genus 

 Oecanthus are preferred when they are available. 



Biology: Krombein, 1967. Trap-nesting wasps and bees, pp. 239-251, figs. 57-61 (U. S. spp.). 

 auripes (Fernald). N. Y. to Fla., west to Mich., Kans. and Tex. Ecology: Nests in borings in 



wood and abandoned bee burrows in clay banks; nest contains only a single large brood 



cell in which several larvae are reared. Parasite: Pseudoxenos auripedis (Pierce); 



Anthrax atemmus (Big.); Miltogrammini sp.; Phoridae sp.; Melittobia chalybii Ashm.; 



Chrysididae sp. Prey: Neoxabea bipunctata (DeG.), Oecanthus exclamationis Davis, ? 



0. angustipennis Fitch, 0. latipennis Riley, 0. sp.; Orocharis saltator Uhl., 0. luteolira 



Wlkr., 0. vulgare Harr., 0. sp., Conocephalus memorale Scud., C. sp., Scudderia sp. 



Predator: Lecontella cancellata (LeC). 

 Sphex tibialis Lepeletier, 1845. Hist. Nat. Ins., Hym., v. 3, p. 339. 9. Preocc. 

 Chlorion (Isodontia) auripes Fernald, 1906. U. S. Natl. Mus., Proc. 31: 356. N. name. 



Taxonomy: Evans and Lin, 1956. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 81: 144, figs. 31, 32 (larva). 

 —Evans, 1959. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 85: 147-148 (larva). 



Biology: Packard, 1869. Guide Study Ins., pp. 168-169 (nest, cocoon). — Rau and Rau, 1918. 

 Wasp studies afield, pp. 203-205 (nest). —Rau, 1926. St. Louis Acad. Sci., Trans. 25: 

 200-201 (nest). —Rau, 1928. St. Louis Acad. Sci., Trans. 25: 362-368 (prey, parasite). 

 —Krombein, 1967. Trap-nesting wasps and bees, pp. 246-251, ? figs. 60, 61 (nest, prey, life 

 cycle, parasites). —Krombein, 1970. Smithsn. Contrib. Zool. 46: 3-12, figs. 6-39 (nesting 

 behavior, prey, life cycle). 



