Rhopalum

Stephens, 1829

Rhopalum is a large of solitary in the Crabronidae, with over 280 described distributed worldwide. These wasps are part of the diverse crabronid lineage, which are predominantly predatory. The genus includes both and species, with R. clavipes being notably widespread in North America as an introduced species.

Rhopalum coarctatum by no rights reserved, uploaded by Nick Bédard. Used under a CC0 license.Rhopalum clavipes F (13906601363) by maxson.erin. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.Rhopalum clavipes F (13883429732) by maxson.erin. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Rhopalum: /rəʊˈpæləm/

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Distribution

Worldwide; includes in North America (e.g., R. clavipes)

Host Associations

  • Ptychoneura minuta (Sarcophagidae: Miltogramminae) - phoretic attached to of female R. clavipes; first North record documented

Behavior

female R. clavipes has been observed carrying dipteran (Ptychoneura minuta) attached to the , representing a phoretic association where the uses the for egg .

More Details

Taxonomic note

Formerly placed in ; now classified in Crabronidae following modern . R. clavipes is widespread in North America as an .

Phoretic association

The attachment of Ptychoneura minuta to R. clavipes represents a documented case of / involving and crabronid , first recorded in North America in 1982.

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Sources and further reading