Nesting ecology of the Pacific cicada killer, Sphecius convallis Patton (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae), in the Sonoran Desert

By

Coelho, Joseph R.
Hastings, Jon
Holliday, Charles

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2020

Original Publication

Journal of Hymenoptera research

Volume

80

Pages

177--191

Subjects

digging , dispersion , Population , provisioning , soil , wasp

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Washington, D.C International Society of Hymenopterists

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.80.59206

 

Abstract

Factors affecting the ecology of a large population of Pacific cicada killers (Sphecius convallis) occupying a field of mine tailings in Ruby, AZ, were examined. Burrows were quite dense in certain areas around the periphery of the mine tailings, but were dispersed randomly within these areas. Approximately 1600 females (based on burrow counts) and 2500 males (based on mark-recapture) were recorded, yielding a total population estimate of 5000–6000 adults. Female wasps were able to dig much more rapidly in the mine tailings than their congeners S. speciosus in soils from PA, suggesting that the habitat suitability was a large factor in this robust population. Provisioning rate was comparatively slow, however, suggesting that cicada abundance in that year was not a contributor to the high population density. The presence of a sap-producing tree may have eased the energetic and thermoregulatory demands of the wasps. Although excavations revealed that the number of burrows and cells could easily maintain the population size, the lack of cicadas probably resulted instead in a population crash the following season.