Astatidae

Definition

A cosmopolitan family of solitary wasps in the order Hymenoptera, distinguished by males possessing exceptionally large compound eyes that broadly meet dorsally at the top of the head—a striking sexual dimorphism not typical of most sphecoid wasps. The family comprises more than 160 species, with the genus Astata containing approximately half of the described diversity. Astatids are predatory, provisioning nest cells with paralyzed true bugs (Hemiptera) as larval food.

Etymology

Example

A male Astatidae can be distinguished from females and from males of related families such as Crabronidae by the nearly contiguous upper eye margins, creating a helmet-like appearance when viewed from above.

Related Terms

• Hymenoptera
• solitary wasp
• Sexual dimorphism
• compound eye
• Crabronidae
• Sphecidae
• predatory wasp
• brood provisioning

Usage Notes

The family was historically treated as a subfamily (Astatinae) within Sphecidae or Crabronidae in older classifications; modern phylogenetic studies recognize Astatidae as a distinct family within the superfamily Apoidea or as part of the broader sphecoid wasp assemblage. The characteristic male eye morphology is diagnostic at the family level and readily separates astatids from superficially similar genera in Dryudidae or other crabronoid lineages. The cosmopolitan distribution includes both temperate and tropical regions, though species diversity is highest in warmer climates.