Pemphredoninae

Pemphredoninae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Crabronidae
Subfamily: Pemphredoninae
Tribes, Subtribes and Genera

Entomosericini (Dalla Torre, 1897):

  • Entomosericus (Dahlbom, 1845)

Odontosphecini (Menke, 1967):

  • Odontosphex

Pemphredonini (Dahlbom, 1835):

  • Ammoplanina (Evans, 1959)
    • 5 genera
  • Pemphredonina (Dahlbom, 1835)
    • 4 genera
  • Spilomenina (Menke, 1989)
    • 4 genera
  • Stigmina (R. Bohart and Menke, 1976)
    • 4 genera

Psenini (A. Costa, 1858):

  • Ammopsen (Krombein, 1959)
  • Deinomimesa (Perkins, 1899)
  • Lithium (Finnamore, 1987)
  • Mimesa (Shuckard, 1937)
  • Mimumesa (Malloch, 1933)
  • Nesomimesa (Malloch, 1933)
  • Odontopsen (Tsuneki, 1964)
  • Pluto (Pate, 1937)
  • Psen (Latreille, 1796)
  • Pseneo (Malloch, 1933)
  • Psenulus (Kohl, 1897)

The subfamilly Pemphredoninae also known as the aphid wasps,[1] is a large group in the wasp family Crabronidae. Historically, this subfamily has frequently been accorded family status. The subfamily consists of solitary, predatory wasps, each genus having its own distinct and consistent prey preferences. The adult females dig tunnels in the ground, or plant material, for nesting.[2]

As with all other sphecoid wasps, the larvae are carnivorous; females hunt for prey on which to lay their eggs, mass provisioning the nest cells with paralyzed, living prey that the larvae feed upon after hatching from the egg.

Subdivisions

The Pemphredoninae are currently divided into four tribes: Entomosericini, Odontosphecini, Psenini, and Pemphredonini; the last of which has by far the largest number of species. The primary distinction between the Psenini and the Pemphredonini, is that the Psenini have a forewing with three submarginal cells, and the Pemphredonini never have more than two submarginal cells on their forewing.

Fossils

Two fossilized wasps from the Weald Clay, Archisphex and Angarosphex are considered to possibly be in the Pemphredoninae.[3]

Notes

  1. ↑ "Subfamily Pemphredoninae - Aphid Wasps", accessed 14 January 2009
  2. ↑ Sharp, David (1901) "Insects Part II: Chapter III: Hymenoptera Aculeata continued: Family Sphegidae-Crabronides: Sub-Fam. 9. Mimesides." in Harmer, S. F. and Shipley, A. E. (eds.) (1901) The Cambridge Natural History Macmillan and Co., London, p. 128 OCLC 559687
  3. ↑ Jarzembowski, E. A. (1991) "The Weald Clay of the Weald: Report of 1988/89 Field Meetings: New insects from the Weald Clay of the Weald" Proceedings of the Geologists' Association 102: pp. 83-108; as cited in Grimaldi, David (1999) "The co-radiations of pollinating insects and angiosperms in the Cretaceous" Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 86(2): pp. 373-406, p. 377

References

External links