Superfamily SPHECOIDEA 1721 



Type-species: Philanthus politus Say. Desig. by Ashmead, 1899. 

 Chilopogon Kohl, 1896. K. K. Naturhist. Hofmus., Ann. 11: 329. Emend, of Cheilopogonus 



Westwood. 

 Epiphilanthus Ashmead, 1899. Canad. Ent. 31: 294. 



Type-species: Philanthus soUvagus Say. Orig. desig. 

 Pseudanthophilus Ashmead, 1899. Canad. Ent. 31: 294. 



Type-species: Philanthus ve)ttilabris Fabricius. Orig. desig. 

 Oclodetes Banks, 1913. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Bui. 32: 423. 



Type-species: Philanthus sanboniii Cresson. Orig. desig. 

 Ococletes Mickel, 1916. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 42: 407. Emend, or lapsus. 



This genus occurs in all major zoogeographic regions except The Neotropical and Australian. 

 The preferred prey are bees, sometimes honeybees, but occasionally wasps or even Parasitica 

 may be used, perhaps when there is a shortage of bees. 



Revision: Strandtmann, 1946. A Rev. of the N. Amer. Spp. of Philanthus, 126 pp., 8 pis. 

 albopilosus Cresson. Rocky Mtn. States east to Tex., Ohio, and Ont.; Mexico (Chihuahua). 



Ecology: Makes up to 4 cells per nest with 1-6 accessory burrows per nest, stores 6-10 

 prey per cell. Parasite: Phrosinella fulvicomis Coq. Prey: Ancistrocerus c. catskill 

 (Sauss.); Aphilanthops frigidus (Sm.); Mimumesa fuscipes (Pack.); Oxybelus 

 bipu7ictatus Oliv.; Colletes hyalinus Prov., C. simulans annatus Patt., C. willistoni 

 Robt.?; Andre7ia robertsonii D. T.; Agapostemon angelicus Ckll., Dialictus imitatus 

 (Sm.), D. lineatulus (Cwfd.), D. pilosus (Sm.), Halictns confusus Sm., H. ligatus Say, H. 

 rubicundus Chr., Lasioglossum leucozonium (Schr.). 



Philanthus albopilosus Cresson, 1865. Ent. Soc. Phila., Proc. 5: 91. cj. 



Philanthus siinillinius Cresson, 1865. Ent. Soc. Phila., Proc. 5: 95. 9. 



Biology: Evans, 1975. Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 68: 888-892, 6 figs, (male behavior, nest, prey, 

 parasite). 

 arizonicus Bohart. Ariz. (Maricopa Co.). 



Philanthus arizonicus Bohart, 1972. Ent. Soc. Wash., Proc. 74: 397, fig. 1. 6. 

 barbatus Smith. Idaho and Oreg. to Colo, and N. Mex.; Mexico (Chihuahua to Puebla). Ecology: 

 Nests in sand dune. Prey: Agapostemon nielliventris Cr.; Exomalopsis sidae Ckll. 

 Philanthus barbatus Smith, 1856. Cat. Hym. Brit. Mus., v. 4, p. 473. 6. 

 Philanthus albifrons Cresson, 1865. Ent. Soc. Phila., Proc. 5: 101. 6, 9. 

 Philanthus henricus Dunning, 1898. Canad. Ent. 30: 153. 9. 



Biology: Evans and Lin, 1959. Wasmann Jour. Biol. 17: 128 (nest, prey). 



barbiger Mickel. Colo., Nebr. 



Philanthus barbiger Mickel, 1916. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 42: 405. 3, 9. 



bicinctus (Mickel). Colo., Utah, Wyo. Ecology: Nests in aggregations, makes very deep nest in 



friable, clay-silt soil, stores 5 prey per cell. Parasite: Metopia argyrocephala (Meig.) ? 



Prey: Bovibus bifarius Cr., B. occidentalis Gr., B.fervidus (P.), B. melanopygus Nyl., B. 



flavifrons Cr., B. mixtus Cr., B. rufocinctus Cr., B. centralis Cr.; preys on bumblebee 



workers and males. 

 Ococletes bicinctus Mickel, 1916. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 42: 407. 9. 

 Ococletes hirticulus Mickel, 1918 (1917). Nebr. Univ. Studies 17: 326. 6. 



Taj^onomy: Evans, 1964. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 90: 275-276, figs. 65-67 (larva). 



Biology: Armitage, 1965. Kans. Ent. Soc, Jour. 38: 89-100, 4 figs, (nest, prey). —Evans, 1970. 



Mus. Compar. Zool., Bui. 140: 500 (nest, prey, parasite ?). 

 bilunatus Cresson. East. U. S. west to N. Dak., Colo., and N. Mex., east. Canad. provinces west 

 to Alta. Ecology: Nests in flat sand or vertical sand banks, makes 3 or more cells per 

 nest, stores 7-8 small bees per cell. Prey: Hylaeus m. modestus Say; Halictus ligatus 

 Say, //. confusus Sm., Lasioglossum leucozonium (Schr.), Dialictus incoyispicuus (Sm.), 

 Augochlora striata Prov. 



Phila7ithus bilunatus Cresson, 1865. Ent. Soc. Phil., Proc. 5: 97. 6. 



Philanthus scelestus Cresson, 1879. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 7: Proc, p. xxxiii. 9. 



Philanthus assimilis Banks, 1915. Canad. Ent. 47: 404. 6. Preocc. 



Philanthus consimilis Banks, 1923. Canad. Ent. 55: 21. N. name. Preocc. 



