Ammophilinae
Guides
Ammophila cleopatra
Ammophila cleopatra is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae, described by Arnold Menke in 1964. Like other members of the genus Ammophila, it is a solitary wasp that hunts caterpillars to provision nests for its offspring. The species occurs in North America and Middle America, though specific details about its biology remain poorly documented compared to better-studied congeners such as A. procera and A. pictipennis.
Eremnophila
thread-waisted wasps
Eremnophila is a genus of solitary thread-waisted wasps in the family Sphecidae, comprising approximately nine described species distributed primarily across the Americas. These wasps are specialized caterpillar hunters that provision subterranean nests with paralyzed prey for their larvae. Adults are frequent flower visitors, particularly to spotted horsemint (Monarda punctata), goldenrods, and other late-summer asters. A distinctive behavioral trait involves prolonged tandem mating, where males grasp females by the neck and accompany them during foraging activities.