| |
Chlorion funereum Gribodo, 1879 (Ethiopia) |
| |
Chlorion maxillosum
maxillosum (Poiret, 1787)
(Ethiopia, Libya, Somalia) |
 |
Chlorion maxillosum ciliatum (Fabricius,
1787) (Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, India, Kenya,
Mozambique, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania) |
| |
Chlorion splendidum Fabricius, 1804 (Ethiopia, India, Madagascar,
Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan) |
Distribution
|
Worldwide. |
Biology
|
Prey on large crickets (Brachytrypes
membraneous and B. megacephalus) living in burrows in the
soil. Females dig burrows that intersect with the cricket's burrow so
they can attack the cricket from behind. If the cricket emerges it is
captured and stung repeatedly above ground. The female grasps the
cricket's thorax with its suitably large mandibles. An egg is laid on
the first segment of the abdomen. The cricket recovers shortly after
being stung and digs a new burrow. The wasp larvae does not consume all
of the cricket, which dies during larval development. Pupation takes
place in the burrow (Bohart & Menke, 1976; 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 SK, Gess FW 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 © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums
of South Africa)
|
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