Spider-wasps
Guides
Ageniellini
Mud-nesting Spider Wasps
Ageniellini is a cosmopolitan tribe of spider wasps (subfamily Pepsinae) comprising 17 genera. Members are commonly known as mud-nesting spider wasps due to their frequent construction of thimble-shaped mud nests, often communally. The tribe exhibits exceptional behavioral diversity, with three distinct nesting strategies: mud nest construction, dry soil excavation, and kleptoparasitic nest usurpation. These strategies have evolved independently multiple times from nest-constructing ancestors. Like all Pompilidae, females provision nests with paralyzed spiders as larval food, with most Ageniellini species characteristically removing spider legs before transport.
Arachnospila
spider wasps
Arachnospila is a genus of spider wasps (Pompilidae) with a predominantly Holarctic distribution. The genus contains approximately 50 described species organized into five subgenera: Acanthopompilus, Ammosphex, Anoplochares, Arachnospila, and Melanospila. Species occur in open habitats and at forest edges, with nests that may contain multiple cells. The genus has limited representation in montane habitats of the Neotropical and Afrotropical regions.
Cryptocheilus
spider wasps
Cryptocheilus is a genus of spider wasps in the subfamily Pepsinae, occurring primarily in warm regions worldwide. Females construct multicellular nests in pre-existing cavities, provisioning each cell with a paralyzed spider as food for their larvae. The genus includes approximately 24 species in Europe, 6 in North America, and 2 recently described from the Neotropics. Several Australasian species formerly placed here have been transferred to the revived genus Heterodontonyx based on phylogenetic evidence.
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.
Pompilinae
spider wasps
Pompilinae is a subfamily of spider wasps (family Pompilidae) comprising approximately 107 genera. Species are solitary wasps that hunt spiders, paralyzing them with venom to serve as food for their larvae. Females excavate burrows or use pre-existing cavities, deposit a single egg on the paralyzed prey, and conceal the nest entrance. The subfamily exhibits considerable diversity in host associations and nesting behaviors across its constituent tribes.
Pompilini
spider wasps
Pompilini is a tribe of spider wasps in the family Pompilidae, comprising approximately 18 genera and at least 50 described species. Members are solitary wasps that hunt spiders to provision nests for their larvae. The tribe includes genera such as Anoplius, Poecilopompilus, and Agenioideus, which vary considerably in size, coloration, and host spider preferences. Most species construct underground burrows where they deposit a single paralyzed spider with an egg.