Distribution

Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Sudan.

Also Australasian: Australia; Palaearctic: China, Djibouti, Spain; Oriental: India, Indonesia, Japan, New Guinea, Philippines, Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan.

Biology

Excavate nests in soil and are mostly gregarious. Colonies may exist for many years. They prey on grasshoppers (Orthoptera) in the family Tettigoniidae, and less often crickets in the families Gryllacrididae and Gryllidae (Bohart & Menke, 1976).

References

Bohart, R.M. & Menke, A. S. 1976. Sphecid Wasps of the World: a Generic Revision. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.

Brothers D.J. 1999. Phylogeny and evolution of wasps, ants and bees (Hymenoptera, Chrysidoidea, Vespoidea and Apoidea) Zoologica Scripta 28: 233–250.

Finnamore, A.T. & Michener, C.D. 1993. Superfamily Apoidea (pp. 279-357). In GOULET, H. & HUBER, J. (eds). Hymenoptera of the World: an identification guide to families. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, Canada, 668 pp.

Schmid-Egger, C. 2014. Order Hymenoptera, families Crabronidae and Sphecidae. Further
records and the description of new species.: 521-631 – In: Van Harten, A. (ed): Arthropod fauna
of the UAE. Volume 5 – Dar Al Ummah, Abu Dhabi.

Links

CATALOG OF WORLD SPHECIDAE sensu lato (= Apoidea excluding bees) compiled by
Wojciech J. Pulawski (California Academy of Sciences).

Credits

Photographs © Iziko Museums of South Africa.

Map illustration © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums of South Africa).