1708 Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico 



macellaria F.; Tachinidae spp.; Melampsalta calliope (Wlkr.); Atalopedes campestris 

 Boisd.; the last two prey species (cicada and skipper) were stored only in a large 

 aggregation where there was considerable competition for prey. Predator: Solenopsis 

 geminata F. This wasp is commonly called the "horse guard" because it preys so 

 commonly on horseflies. 

 Bembex Carolina Fabricius, 1793. Ent. System., v. 2, p. 249. 



Taxonomy: Evans and Lin, 1956. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 82: 53, figs. 72-78 (larva). —Evans, 

 1964. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 90: 268, fig. 55 (larva). 



Biology: Bryant, 1870. Amer. Ent. 2: 87 (prey capture). — Ashmead, 1894. Psyche 7: 61 (prey 

 capture). — Hartman, 1905. Tex. Univ., Bui. 65: 27-29, figs. 7, 15 (nest, prey capture, egg, 

 life cycle, cocoon). — Hine, 1906. La. State Crop Pest Comn. Cir. 6: 20-27 (nest, prey). 

 -Hine, 1907. La. Agr. Expt. Sta., Bui. 93: 13-15 (nest, prey). — Krombein, 1958. Ent. Soc. 

 Wash., Proc. 60: 106-107 (nest, prey, parasite). —Krombein, 1959. Ent. Soc. Wash., Proc. 61: 

 196-197 (nest, prey, life cycle, cocoon). —Evans, 1966. Compar. ethology and evolution of 

 sand wasps, pp. 223-243, figs. 119-133 (mating, nest, egg, prey capture and transport, life 

 cycle, parasites). —Lin, 1971. Tex. Jour. Sci. 23: 275-283, 3 figs, (mating, nest, egg, prey, 

 life cycle, cocoon). 

 signata signata (Linnaeus). South. Fla., south. Calif.; West Indies, tropical Mexico, Central and 

 South America. Ecology: Nests in large aggregations in sand along coasts and rivers; 

 the egg is placed on the first fly brought into the cell. Parasite: Villa sp.? Prey: 

 Taba7ius truquii Bell, T. sp., Diachlorus cumipes (F.), Lepiselaga crassipes ¥., 

 Chrysops costatus F.; Hedriodiscus dorsalis (F.); Allograpta sp., Eristalis sp., Volucella 

 sp.; Musca domestica L., Morellia scapulata (Big.); Cochlioyyujia macellaria (F.), 

 Phaenicia ciuvia (Wlkr.); Sitophaga sp., Tachinidae sp.; Sarcophaga spp.; Tabanidae are 

 the preferred prey. Another subsp. occurs in Peru. 

 Vespa signata Linnaeus, 1758. Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, v. 1, p. 574. 

 Apis vespiformis DeGeer, 1773. Mem. Hist. Ins., v. 3, p. 570, pi. 28, figs. 3, 4. 

 Monedula insularis Dahlbom, 1845. Hym. Europaea, v. 1, pp. 186, 494. 9. 



Biology: Evans, 1966. Compar. ethology and evolution of sand wasps, pp. 243-247 (nest, prey, 

 egg, scavengers). 

 vivida (HandHrsch). Tex. (Cameron Co.); Mexico (TamauHpas, Veracruz, Yucatan). Ecology: 



Nests in hard-packed beach sand in small aggregations; the egg is placed on the first fly 

 brought into the cell. Parasite: Miltogrammini sp. Prey: Tabanus texaniis Hine, T. s. 

 scliwardti Phil, T. vittiger guatemalensis Hine, T. spp., Leucotabanus itzarum Beq.; 

 Cochliomyia macellaria (¥.); Sarcophaga effrenata Wlkr. 

 Monedula vivida Handlirsch, 1890. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Math.-Nat. Kl., Sitzber. 99: 101. 9. 



Taxonomy: Evans, 1957. Ent. News 68: 77. 6. —Evans, 1959. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 85: 153 

 (larva). -Evans, 1964. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 90: 268-269 (larva). 



Biology: Evans, 1957. Ent. News 68: 76-77 (nest, prey transport). —Evans, 1966. Compar. 

 ethology and evolution of sand wasps, pp. 247-252, figs. 134-137 (male territoriality, nest, 

 prey, egg, parasite). 



Genus BEMBIX Fabricius 



Bembix Fabricius, 1775. Systema Ent., Char. Gen., p. xxiii. No species. 



Type-species: Bembex rostrata of Fabricius. Desig. by Latreille, 1810. 

 Bembyx Fabricius, 1775. Systema Ent., p. 361. Lapsus. 

 Bembex Fabricius, 1776. Gen. Ins., p. 122. Emend. 

 Apobembex Pate, 1937. Amer. Ent. Soc, Mem. 9: 9. 



Type-species: Bembex oculata of Latreille. Orig. desig. 

 Epibembex Pate, 1937. Amer. Ent. Soc, Mem. 9: 26. 



Type-species: Apis rostrata Linnaeus. Orig. desig. 



This large genus occurs in all major zoogeographic regions and is the only representative of 

 the subfamily in the Old World. These wasps nest in a variety of soils ranging from loose sand 

 subject to blowing to hard-packed soil, and almost all species practice progressive provisioning. 



