1698 Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico 



The typical subgenus occurs only in the New World. These large wasps are commonly called 

 cicada killers. They frequently nest gregariously and dig burrows which may be as long as 4 

 feet, have a number of branches each of which may terminate in a cluster of 3 cells. One to as 

 many as 4 prey may be stored per cell depending upon the size of the prey and the sex to be pro- 

 vided for. 



Revision: Fox, 1895. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Proc. 47: 264-266 (N. Amer. spp.). 

 convallis Patton. U. S. west of 100th meridian; Mexico (Baja California). Prey: Diceroprocta 

 apache (Davis), Tibicen pruinosa (Say). 

 Sphecius speciosus var. convallis Patton, 1879. U. S. Geol. and Geog. Survey, Bui. 5: 343. 



9, (J. 

 Sphecius raptor Handlirsch, 1889. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Math.-Nat. KL, Sitzber. 98: 461. 9,6. 

 N. name. 



Biology: Krombein, 1951. U. S. Dept. Agr., Monog. 2: 987 (prey). — Krombein, 1958. U. S. 

 Dept. Agr., Monog. 2, Sup. 1, p. 193 (prey). 

 grandis (Say). Tenn., Mo., Ark., Tex., Kans., N. Mex., Ariz., Utah, Nev., Wash., Calif., south to 

 Central America. Parasite: Dasymutilla kiiigii (Gray)? Prey: Tibicen dealbata (Davis). 

 Stizus grandis Say, 1823. West. Quart. Rptr. 2: 77. 

 Stizus fervidus Cresson, 1872. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 4: 223. 9. 

 Stizus nevadensis Cresson, 1874. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 5: 99. S. 



Biology: Bradley, 1908. Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 1: 129 (sleeping aggregation). —Bradley, 1920. 



Ent. News 31: 112-113 (nest, parasite ?). —Evans, 1966. Compar. ethology and evolution of 



sand wasps, p. 110 (prey transport). — Alcock, 1975. Jour. Nat. Hist. 9: 561-566, 3 figs. 



(male territorial and mating behavior). 

 hogardii hogardii (Latreille). South Fla.; West Indies. Another subspecies occurs in the 

 Bahamas. 



Stizus Hogardii Latreille, 1809. Gen. Crust. Ins., v. 4, p. 100, pi. 13. 9. 



Hogardia rufescens Lepeletier, 1845. Hist. Nat. Ins. Hym., v. 3, p. 289. 9. N. name, 

 speciosus (Drury). U. S. in U. and L. Austr. Zones east of Rockies, south into Mexico. Ecology: 

 Nests gregariously in light clay to sandy soil, the tunnel with several branches each 

 with one or more cells and with an average of 15.8 cells per nest, usually stores 1-2 prey 

 per cell. Parasite: Senotainia trilineata (Wulp), Metopia argyrocephala (Meigen). Prey: 

 Tibicen canicularis Harr., T. chloromera Wlkr., T. dorsata Say, T. linnei Sm. and 

 Grossb., T. lyricen DeG., T. marginalis Wlkr., T. pruinosa Say, T. robinsoniana Davis, 

 T. sayi (Grossb.), T. vitripennis Say. This is commonly known as the cicada killer. 



Sphex speciosus Drury, 1773. Illus. Nat. Hist., v. 2, p. 71. 9 . 



Vespa tricincta Fabricius, 1775. Systema Ent., p. 363. 



Stizus vespiformis Latreille, 1818. Tabl. Encycl. et Meth., pt. 24, pi. 382, fig. 6. 



Taxonomy: Evans and Lin, 1956. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 82: 46, figs. 30-36 (larva). 



Biology: Riley, 1892. Insect Life 4: 248-252 (nest, prey). —Davis, 1920. Brooklyn Ent. Soc, 

 Bui. 15: 128-129 (mating, prey transport). — Reinhard, 1929. The witchery of wasps, pp. 

 18-60, 4 pis. (nest, prey, cocoon, life cycle, mating, parasite). —Dow, 1942. Ent. Soc. Amer., 

 Ann. 35: 310-317 (nest, prey). — Dambach and Good, 1943. Ohio Jour. Sci. 43: 32-41, figs. 1-6 

 (nest, prey, life history). —Lin, 1963. Behavior 20: 115-133, 6 figs, (territoriality of males). 

 -Lin, 1964 (1963). Brooklyn Ent. Soc, Bui. 58: 121-123 (fighting of nesting females). 

 —Lin, 1966. Anim. Behaviour 14: 130-131, pi. 6 (mating). —Evans, 1966. Compar. ethology 

 and evolution of sand wasps, pp. 92-110, figs. 52-58 (nest, prey, egg, life cycle, parasites). 

 —Lin, 1967. Science 157: 1334-1335, 1 fig. (sex roles in mating). —Lin, 1972. In Michener 

 and Lin, Quart. Rev. Biol. 47: 139-140 (communal nest possession by several females). 



Morphology: Snodgrass, 1941. Smithsn. Inst., Misc Collect. 99 (14): pi. 18, figs. E-0 (male 

 genitalia). 



Genus TANYOPRYMNUS Cameron 



Tanyoprymnus Cameron, 1905. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 31: 375. 



Type-species: Tanyoprymmis longitarsis Cameron. Monotypic. 

 Ceratostizus Rohwer, 1921. U. S. Natl. Mus., Proc 59: 412. 



