Distribution

Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe.

Biology

Females excavate burrows in living flower stems such as Watsonia, Gladiolus and Foxglove by hollowing out the central pithy stem both above and below the 4 mm diameter entrance hole, which is cut in the stem side. A number of monocot families are utilized: Amaryllidaceae, Asphodelaceae and Iridaceae. The nest contains a number of cells (up to 14), each provisioned with many partially paralyzed flies, each cell sealed off with a layer of pith. Dasyproctus bipunctatus preys on a number of fly (Diptera) families: Anthomyiidae, Chloropidae, Lonchaeidae, Muscidae, Sarcophagidae, Sapromyzidae, Simuliidae, Spheroceridae, Syrphidae, Tachinidae & Tephritiidae, Ulidiidae (formerly Otitidae) (Gess & Gess, 2014).

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.

Gess, S.K. & Gess, F.W. 2014. Wasps and bees in southern Africa. SANBI Biodiversity Series 24. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. 320 pp.

Links

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

Credits

Photographs © Vida van der Walt (Pretoria) or © Desiré Pelser (Kloof, Durban).

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