1965] 
Evans — Armnophila azteca 
9 
before the previous cell is fully stocked (Janvier, 1928; Tsuneki, 
1956). 
Powell (1964) suggested that studies with marked wasps might 
well reveal that some of our North American A?n?nophila maintain 
more than one nest simultaneously. By coincidence, during the same 
week that Powell’s paper appeared, I was able to establish that this 
is, in fact, the case. Working along the Snake River in Jackson Hole, 
Wyoming, I found that Ammophila azteca Cameron behaves in a 
manner strikingly like pubescens in almost every detail relating to 
provisioning. My studies were relatively brief and leave a number 
of questions unanswered, but they seem worth putting on record at 
this time with the thought that others may be able to extend our 
knowledge of this widely distributed species before I am able to do so. 
Ammophila azteca has been the subject of three published notes, all 
of them brief. Hicks (1935) observed several wasps digging and 
closing nests near Boulder, Colorado (identified as aculeatus Fernald, 
a synonym ) . Evans ( 1 963 ) reported on a single nest found in 
Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, and Powell (1964) presented prey 
records from California and Baja California. The last two authors 
both identified the species as pilosa Fernald, a name now regarded as 
a junior synonym of azteca Cameron. 2 I also found one female of 
this species nesting at Great Sand Dunes National Monument, 
Colorado (elevation 7800 feet), in August 1964, and have included 
this record below. This is chiefly a montane species ; Powell’s records 
are from 6000 feet elevation in Baja California and over 10000 feet 
in California; the Jackson Hole and Yellowstone localities where I 
have worked are both at about 6800 feet. However, Menke (in 
lift.) reports the species from near sea level in California and various 
places in Canada. 
General aspects of ecology and behavior. — Most of my studies 
were conducted in a small area of flat, bare soil along the Snake 
River at the Cattlemen’s Bridge, about one kilometer east of the 
Jackson Hole Biological Research Station, Moran, Wyoming. The 
first observations were made on July 18, 1964, the last observations 
on August 14. My impression is that this species became active only 
a few days before my initial observations and that it had nearly 
completed its nesting season by August 14. In this area, where the 
active season for most wasps is no more than 4-6 weeks, progressive 
2 This is a new synonymy, and should be credited to Arnold Menke, who is 
currently revising the genus Ammophila and who has studied Cameron’s 
type. I am indebted to Dr. Menke for identifying the specimens collected in 
the course of these studies and for critical reading of the manuscript. 
