1979 ] 
Rubink & Evans — Epyris eriogoni 
315 
In both cases the wasp grasped the larva in the head region, appar¬ 
ently by the palps. A similar mode of transport was described by 
Williams (1919) for E. extraneus in Hawaii. 
After experiencing much difficulty in carrying the relatively larger 
prey the wasp carried it under a clod of sand. She emerged after 
approximately one minute and was captured and preserved. Subse¬ 
quent excavation recovered the prey at about 1 cm depth. Since no 
egg was found on the prey, we hypothesize that this site probably 
represented a temporary location to be utilized until a suitable nest 
site could be found. 
At 0930 hrs on May 28 a second female, E. eriogoni, was observed 
dragging its larval tenebrionid prey up a gradual sandy.incline. Again 
the same two forms of prey carriage were noted (Fig. 2). The wasp 
abandoned the prey several times and, in a 50 to 100 cm radius, 
investigated numerous cracks and depressions in the soil surface. She 
appeared to experience some difficulty in relocating the prey after 
each of these forays. On the third foray the bethylid entered a tiny 
hole in the sand (which later proved to be the temporarily closed 
burrow of a sand wasp), remained several seconds, and then returned 
directly to the prey and began transporting it towards the hole. Upon 
reaching the burrow, she deposited the prey outside, a few millimeters 
distant, and entered the burrow. Within a few seconds she reemerged, 
grasped the head (palps?) of the prey, and backed into the burrow 
with it. Shortly after the prey and bethylid had disappeared into the 
burrow, a Bembix troglodytes entered the same burrow with its 
dipterous prey; this caused the bethylid to leave the burrow momen¬ 
tarily. After re-entering the burrow the bethylid remained for at least 
two hours (until 1200 hours), when observations were discontinued. 
Excavation of the sand wasp nest revealed a small horizontal 
tunnel (approx. 1-2 mm diam.) leading off at a right angle from the 
sand wasp burrow. It extended about two centimeters where it 
enlarged to a “C” shaped cell only slightly larger than the partially 
curled tenebrionid prey it contained. The Epyris “nest” was located at 
approximately 25 cm depth and immediately before the internal 
closure of the sand wasp nest (leading to the cell of the latter nest). 
The female bethylid was not found in the nest. The prey contained a 
single egg (Fig. 3) in a position nearly identical to that pictured for E. 
extraneus in Hawaii (Williams, 1919). The egg died before hatching. 
The two preserved tenebrionid larvae were identified as Blastinus 
sp., which are apparently very close taxonomically to the prey 
