Mud-nest-builders

Guides

• Pepsinae

  tarantula hawks (for some genera)

  Pepsinae is a subfamily of spider wasps (Pompilidae) comprising 84 genera across six tribes. The subfamily includes the large tarantula hawks (genera Pepsis and Hemipepsis) as well as many smaller species. Members exhibit diverse nesting behaviors including use of preexisting cavities, occupation of spider burrows, soil excavation, mud nest construction, and kleptoparasitism. The subfamily is defined by distinctive morphological characters including sternite 2 with a transverse groove, femora without subapical spine-like setae in grooves, metatibia with uniform apical spine-like setae not splayed, and fore wing vein Cu1 simple at its base.

  Pompilidaespider-waspstarantula-hawksparasitoidkleptoparasiteburrowing-waspsmud-nest-buildersHymenoptera

• Pompilidae

  Spider Wasps, Spider-hunting Wasps, Pompilid Wasps

  Spider wasps in the family Pompilidae are solitary, stinging wasps that hunt spiders to provision nests for their larvae. The family contains approximately 5,000 described species in six subfamilies, distributed worldwide. Most species capture and paralyze spiders using venom, then deposit them in burrows or cavities where a single egg is laid on each victim. Females of the genus Auplopus construct distinctive free-standing mud cells, while most other genera excavate burrows in soil or use pre-existing cavities. Members of the subfamily Ceropalinae are kleptoparasites, laying eggs in the nests of other pompilids or acting as ectoparasitoids of living spiders rather than building their own nests.

  Hymenopterasolitary-waspsspider-predatorsparasitoidsmud-nest-buildersburrowing-waspsant-mimicskleptoparasitesPepsinaeCeropalinaePompilinaeAuplopusAnopliusAgeniellaCaliadurgusPepsisPriocnemisAplocharesArachnospilaEvagetesAgenioideusEpisyronNanoclaveliaPedinpompilusAgenioidevatetesNorth-AmericaAustraliaIranEuropecosmopolitan