Digger-wasps
Guides
Crabronidae
Square-headed Wasps, Sand Wasps, Digger Wasps
Crabronidae is a large family of solitary wasps within the superfamily Apoidea, containing over 200 genera and more than 9,000 species. Formerly treated as a subfamily of Sphecidae, it was elevated to family status following taxonomic revision. The family is now recognized as paraphyletic, with bees (Anthophila) and Sphecidae having arisen from within it. Members are commonly known as square-headed wasps, sand wasps, and digger wasps.
Gorytina
Gorytina is a subtribe of digger wasps within the tribe Bembicini, family Crabronidae. These wasps are solitary and typically nest in soil, with many species specializing on particular prey types. The subtribe includes approximately 20 genera distributed globally, with notable diversity in North America. Members are distinguished from other Bembicini by morphological features of the clypeus and labrum.
Hapalomellinus
Hapalomellinus is a genus of digger wasps in the family Crabronidae, subfamily Bembicinae. Established by Ashmead in 1899, it belongs to the tribe Bembicini within the subtribe Gorytina. The genus contains at least three described species: Hapalomellinus albitomentosus, H. pulvis, and H. teren. Like other Bembicinae, these wasps are solitary and nest in soil.
Larrina
larrine wasps
Larrina is a subtribe of digger wasps within the family Crabronidae, tribe Larrini. These solitary wasps are characterized by reduced simple eyes (ocelli) that appear as scars rather than functional eyes. Members of this group nest in soil and provision their young with paralyzed insect prey. The subtribe includes genera such as Tachytes and the remarkable giant wasp Megalara garuda from Indonesia.
Oxybelini
square-headed wasps
Oxybelini is a tribe of Crabronidae containing approximately 15 genera and over 440 described species, commonly known as square-headed wasps. Members are specialized predators of flies, exhibiting a highly concentrated stinging pattern that targets the prey's nervous system with a single thoracic sting rather than the multiple stings typical of other digger wasps. This reduced stinging sequence correlates with the simplified nervous system of dipteran prey, which typically possess a single fused thoracic ganglionic mass.
Pemphredoninae
Aphid Wasps
Pemphredoninae is a large subfamily of solitary, parasitoidal wasps in the family Crabronidae, containing over 1,000 species. Members are commonly known as aphid wasps due to the prevalence of aphid predation in many genera, though prey preferences vary consistently by genus. The subfamily has historically been treated as a separate family. Most species nest in pre-existing cavities including hollow stems, twigs, beetle borings, or excavated tunnels in soil or plant material. Several genera exhibit social or communal nesting behaviors, including Microstigmus and Spilomena.
Spheciina
Spheciina is a subtribe of sand wasps within the tribe Bembicini, family Crabronidae. These wasps are characterized by their fossorial (digging) behavior and predatory lifestyle. The subtribe was established by Nemkov & Ohl in 2011 based on phylogenetic analysis. Members are primarily solitary hunters that provision nests with paralyzed prey for their larvae.
Sphex
digger wasps
Sphex is a cosmopolitan genus of solitary wasps containing over 130 species. Females construct subterranean nests provisioned with paralyzed insects, primarily katydids and other orthopterans, as food for their larvae. The genus is notable for its stereotyped nesting behaviors that have been extensively studied in cognitive science and philosophy of mind, particularly the so-called 'Sphex Wasp Experiment' demonstrating rigid behavioral sequences.
Tracheliodes
Tracheliodes is a genus of solitary wasps in the family Crabronidae. Species are distributed across Europe, Africa, and North America. The genus was established by A. Morawitz in 1866.