Leafhopper-predator
Guides
Ablautus arnaudi
Ablautus arnaudi is a small species of robber fly in the family Asilidae, first described by Wilcox in 1966. Adults measure approximately 6–7 millimeters in length. The species exhibits sand-colored cryptic coloration and displays distinctive sexual dimorphism in facial hair coloration. Males possess bright white facial hairs and engage in elaborate courtship displays involving leg-waving and rocking movements. Like all Asilidae, this species is predatory in both adult and larval stages.
Asilidaerobber-flypredatorysexual-dimorphismcourtshipearly-springsand-coloredcrypticleafhopper-predatormystaxfacial-hair-dimorphismextra-oral-digestionvenomoussit-and-wait-predatorplains-habitatsmall-size6-7-mmwhite-facial-hairs-malegold-facial-hairs-femaleleg-waving-displayrocking-displayWilcox-1966Ablautus-revisionCharlotte-Herbert-AlbertsColoradoeastern-plainsAblautus trifarius
Loew Prospector
Ablautus trifarius is a small robber fly in the family Asilidae, first described by Loew in 1866. Adults measure approximately 6–7 millimeters and are sand-colored, making them difficult to detect in their natural environment. The species is predatory in both larval and adult stages, preying on insects smaller than themselves such as leafhoppers. Males exhibit distinctive courtship behavior involving aerial displays, leg-waving, and rocking movements.
Bembecinus
sand wasp, sand wasps
Bembecinus is a cosmopolitan genus of sand wasps in the family Crabronidae, with approximately 200 described species worldwide. These small to medium-sized wasps are known for their distinctive eye morphology—strongly convergent at the bottom of the face and strongly divergent at the top of the head—and for practicing progressive provisioning of their larvae. Females construct burrows in sandy substrates and hunt leafhoppers to feed their offspring, while males exhibit complex alternative mating tactics including digging for pre-emergent females and patrolling for mates.
Bembecinus floridanus
sand wasp
Bembecinus floridanus is a small sand wasp in the family Crabronidae, first described by Krombein & Willink in 1951. As a member of the genus Bembecinus, it exhibits the characteristic traits of this group: strongly convergent eyes at the bottom of the face and strongly divergent at the top of the head, along with a petiolate or nearly petiolate second submarginal cell in the forewing. The species is found in North America and, like other Bembecinus, is a solitary ground-nesting wasp that provisions its larvae with prey.
Bembecinus nanus
Bembecinus nanus is a small sand wasp species in the tribe Stizina, family Crabronidae. Like other members of its genus, it excavates burrows in sandy substrates and provisions nests with leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) for its larvae. The species practices progressive provisioning, bringing prey to the developing larva on an as-needed basis rather than mass provisioning. It is one of approximately 190 Bembecinus species worldwide and among ten species recorded from North America north of Mexico.
Clitemnestra
Clitemnestra is a genus of small sand wasps in the family Crabronidae, containing at least 60 described species. Members of this genus are predatory wasps that hunt various sap-feeding insects, particularly planthoppers, leafhoppers, and related Hemiptera. The genus was revised by Bohart in 2000, which included the merger of the former genus Ochleroptera into Clitemnestra. These wasps are generally inconspicuous due to their small size, with some species measuring only 5–6 millimeters in body length.
Didineis
Didineis is a genus of solitary predatory wasps in the family Crabronidae, subfamily Bembicinae, with approximately 24 described species worldwide. The genus is placed in the tribe Alyssontini. Species are small, ground-nesting wasps that prey on Auchenorrhynchan Hemipterans, primarily leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) and planthoppers (Fulgoridae). Two species occur in France—D. crassicornis and D. lunicornis—where they have been documented as recurrent inhabitants of agricultural ecosystems despite historical perceptions of rarity.
Gorytes
sand wasps
Gorytes is a genus of sand wasps in the family Crabronidae, comprising at least 70 described species distributed across the Holarctic region. These solitary wasps are ground-nesting predators that provision their burrows with paralyzed prey, primarily leafhoppers (Cicadellidae), for their developing larvae. The genus is taxonomically placed within the subtribe Gorytina of the tribe Bembicini.