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Sphex caliginosus Erichson
(Life:
Kingdom: Metazoa (animals);
Phylum: Arthropoda;
Class: Hexapoda; Order:
Hymenoptera; Superfamily:
Apoidea; Family:
Sphecidae;
Subfamily: Sphecinae; Tribe:
Sphecini; Genus:
Sphex)
Sphex
fuscus Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1845: 335, ♀ (as fusca,
incorrect original termination), junior primary homonym of Sphex
fuscus Linnaeus, 1761. Lectotype ♀ originally
Audinet-Serville coll., now M. Spinola collection, Torino, designated by
Menke, 1965: 210. Type locality: origin unknown according to
original description, but Brazil on label. Synonymy by Kohl,
1890: 415.
Sphex caliginosus
Erichson, 1849: 589, sex not indicated (as caliginosa, incorrect original
termination, authorship attributed to Klug). Lectotype: ♂ in (ZMHU),
designated by Menke, 1965: 210. Type locality: British Guiana in original
publication, but Brazil on label.
Sphex erythropterus
Cameron, 1888:30, ♀, ♂ (as erythroptera, incorrect original termination).
Lectotype: ♂ in London (NHMUK), designated by Menke, 1965:210. Type locality:
Mexico: Orizaba. Synonymy by Kohl, 1890: 415.
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Specimens in SAMC
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Distribution
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Neotropical
region. |
Biology
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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
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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
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CATALOG OF WORLD SPHECIDAE
sensu lato (= Apoidea excluding bees) compiled by
Wojciech J. Pulawski (California Academy of Sciences). |
Credits
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Photographs © Iziko
Museums of South Africa.
Map illustration © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums
of South Africa).
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