Square-headed-wasp
Guides
Anacrabro
Anacrabro is a genus of square-headed wasps in the family Crabronidae containing approximately 15 described species. Two species occur in North America north of Mexico: A. ocellatus, widespread east of the Rocky Mountains, and A. boerhaviae in the extreme southwestern U.S. and Mexico. The genus is distinguished from related crabronine wasps by its concave abdominal underside and, in A. ocellatus, by its specialized predation on plant bugs (Miridae) rather than flies.
Anacrabro ocellatus
square-headed wasp
Anacrabro ocellatus is a small (6-7 mm) fossorial wasp in the family Crabronidae. Unlike most related genera in tribe Crabronini that hunt flies, this species specializes in capturing plant bugs (family Miridae) to provision its subterranean nest cells. It is widespread east of the Rocky Mountains in North America, with three recognized subspecies. The species is notable for its potential role in biological control of agricultural pests.
Crabro argusinus
Crabro argusinus is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae, described by R. Bohart in 1976. It belongs to a group of solitary wasps known for nesting in soil and provisioning their offspring with paralyzed prey. The species is known from North America, with records from Canada including Alberta. As a member of the genus Crabro, it shares the general characteristics of crabronid wasps but specific biological details remain poorly documented in accessible literature.
Crabro cingulatus
Crabro cingulatus is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. It occurs in Central America and North America. As a member of the genus Crabro, it belongs to a group of solitary wasps that provision nests with prey for their developing larvae. The species was described by Packard in 1867.
Crabro latipes
Crabro latipes is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae, a group of solitary predatory wasps. The species was described by Frederick Smith in 1856. Like other members of the genus Crabro, it is a fossorial wasp that constructs burrows in soil to provision with prey for its developing young. The specific epithet "latipes" refers to broad feet, likely describing a morphological feature of the legs.
Crabro snowii
Crabro snowii is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae, described by W. Fox in 1896. It is known from North America, with records from Canada including Alberta. As a member of the genus Crabro, it likely exhibits the fossorial nesting behavior and predatory habits characteristic of the tribe Crabronini, though specific details about its biology remain poorly documented.
Crabro tumidus
Crabro tumidus is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is native to North America. As a member of the genus Crabro, it belongs to a group of solitary wasps that provision nests with prey for their developing larvae. The species was described by Packard in 1867.
Crossocerus angelicus
Crossocerus angelicus is a species of solitary wasp in the family Crabronidae, first described by Kincaid in 1900. It belongs to a genus of small to medium-sized predatory wasps commonly known as square-headed wasps. The species is recorded from North America, with specific occurrence data from Alberta, Canada. Like other members of Crossocerus, it likely preys on small insects, particularly flies, though specific prey records for this species are not well documented.
Crossocerus nitidiventris
square-headed wasp
Crossocerus nitidiventris is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is found in North America. The species was first described by W. Fox in 1892. As a member of the genus Crossocerus, it belongs to a group of solitary wasps that are commonly known as sand wasps or square-headed wasps.
Ectemnius arcuatus
square-headed wasp
Ectemnius arcuatus is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae, first described by Thomas Say in 1837. It belongs to a genus of solitary wasps characterized by their distinctive head shape. The species occurs in North America, with records from Canada and the United States. Like other members of its genus, it is a solitary, predatory wasp that provisions nests with paralyzed prey.
Ectemnius centralis
square-headed wasp
Ectemnius centralis is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. The species is distributed across the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Like other members of the genus Ectemnius, it is a solitary wasp. Detailed biological information for this species is limited in available sources.
Ectemnius continuus
Common Ectemnius
Ectemnius continuus is a small to medium-sized digger wasp in the family Crabronidae, widespread throughout the Holarctic region. It is black with yellow markings on the scapes, pronotum, tibiae and tergites, and has a clypeus covered with shining silver hairs. The species is notable for having 12 antennal segments in both sexes, unlike most aculeates where males typically have 13 segments. Males possess unique small spines on the first and second tarsomeres of the mid tarsus.
Ectemnius decemmaculatus
Ectemnius decemmaculatus is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. It occurs in North America, with records from Canada and the United States. As a member of the genus Ectemnius, it belongs to a group of solitary wasps that provision nests with prey for their offspring. The species was first described by Thomas Say in 1823.
Ectemnius dives
Ectemnius dives is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is found across Europe and Northern Asia (excluding China), North America, and Southern Asia. As a member of the genus Ectemnius, it belongs to a group of solitary wasps that typically nest in wood and provision their nests with prey for their larvae.
Ectemnius maculosus
square-headed wasp
Ectemnius maculosus is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. Its native range encompasses much of the eastern United States and southeasternmost Canada. The species has been reported from outside its native range in North America, Europe, and northern Asia, though these populations may represent adventive introductions. Like other members of the genus Ectemnius, this species is a solitary wasp that provisions nests with prey for its larvae.
Ectemnius ruficornis
square-headed wasp
Ectemnius ruficornis is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is a solitary, fossorial wasp that constructs underground nests. The species has two recognized subspecies: E. r. ruficornis (Zetterstedt, 1838) and E. r. taiwanus Tsuneki, 1968. It has been recorded across Europe, Northern Asia, North America, and Southern Asia.
Ectemnius rufipes
square-headed wasp
Ectemnius rufipes is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. The species is found in North America and is part of a genus of solitary, predatory wasps that typically hunt flies. Two subspecies are recognized: Ectemnius rufipes ais and the nominate Ectemnius rufipes rufipes.
Ectemnius scaber
Ectemnius scaber is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is found in North America. The species has two recognized subspecies: Ectemnius scaber rufescens and the nominate Ectemnius scaber scaber.
Ectemnius stirpicola
square-headed wasp
Ectemnius stirpicola is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is native to North America, with records from Canada including Alberta. Like other members of the genus Ectemnius, it belongs to the tribe Crabronini, a group of solitary wasps that provision nests with prey for their larvae.
Larra analis
square-headed wasp
Larra analis is a square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae, first described by Fabricius in 1804. It is native to North America and has been documented preying upon northern mole crickets. The species is part of the diverse Crabronidae family, which includes many solitary hunting wasps.
Larropsis distincta
square-headed wasp
Larropsis distincta is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is native to North America and has been documented in Canada, specifically in Alberta. The species was first described by F. Smith in 1856.
Lestica producticollis
square-headed wasp
Lestica producticollis is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae, native to North America. It belongs to the tribe Crabronini, a group of solitary hunting wasps. Members of the genus Lestica are similar in appearance to related genera such as Crabro, Ectemnius, and Anacrabro, and are distinguished by subtle morphological features of the abdomen. As with other Crabronini, these wasps are predatory and provision nests with paralyzed prey for their larvae.
Liris partitus
Liris partitus is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae, tribe Larrini. It is known from Central America and North America. As a member of the genus Liris, it is likely a solitary wasp that hunts crickets as prey, though specific biological details for this species remain poorly documented. The species was described in 1984 as part of a revision of North American Liris.
Lyroda
square-headed wasps, cricket hunters
Lyroda is a genus of solitary, square-headed wasps in the family Crabronidae. The genus contains at least 26 described species, with most diversity occurring in Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America; one species, L. subita, is widespread in North America. Females are specialized hunters of crickets and related orthopterans, provisioning underground nests with paralyzed prey for their larvae.
Oxybelus bipunctatus
square-headed wasp
A square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae with a broad geographic distribution spanning Africa, Europe, Northern Asia (excluding China), and North America. The species exhibits seasonal variation in nesting behavior and is known to provision nests with paralyzed flies. Two subspecies are recognized: O. b. bipunctatus and O. b. thermophilus.
Oxybelus emarginatus
square-headed wasp
Oxybelus emarginatus is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae, first described by Thomas Say in 1837. The genus Oxybelus comprises predatory wasps commonly known as 'fly hunters' that provision their nests with paralyzed flies for their larvae. This species is found in North America, with records from the United States and Canada including Alberta.
Pisonopsis birkmanni
square-headed wasp
Pisonopsis birkmanni is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. It was described by Rohwer in 1909. The species occurs in Central America and North America. Like other members of Trypoxylini, it is a solitary wasp. Observations of this species are sparse, with limited ecological data available.
Plenoculus davisi
square-headed wasp
Plenoculus davisi is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae, first described by W. Fox in 1893. The species is native to North America, with records from Canada and the United States. Five subspecies have been recognized: P. d. atlanticus, P. d. davisi, P. d. gracilis, P. d. mojavensis, and P. d. transversus. As a member of the Miscophini tribe, it belongs to a group of solitary wasps that are typically predatory on other insects.
Rhopalum clavipes
Rhopalum clavipes is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is native to Europe and Northern Asia, and has been introduced to North America where it is now widespread. The species has been documented with a unique phoretic association with the dipteran Ptychoneura minuta, whose eggs are attached to the thorax of adult female wasps.
Tachytes aurulentus
square-headed wasp, green-eyed wasp, sand-loving wasp
Tachytes aurulentus is a species of solitary square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. Like other members of its genus, it is characterized by notably large green eyes, particularly in males. The species is part of a diverse North American assemblage of approximately 35 Tachytes species. These wasps are ground-nesting predators that provision their burrows with paralyzed orthopteran prey for their offspring.
Tachytes crassus
Tachytes crassus is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae, first described by Patton in 1880. It is one of approximately 35 North American species in the genus Tachytes, a group commonly referred to as "green-eyed wasps" due to the striking eye coloration of many species. The species is found in North America, with records from Canada including Ontario. As with other members of the genus, it is a solitary wasp that nests in soil and provisions its burrows with paralyzed orthopteran prey.
Tachytes grisselli
Tachytes grisselli is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae, tribe Larrini. The genus Tachytes comprises approximately 35 species in North America north of Mexico, commonly referred to as 'green-eyed wasps' due to the large, vivid green eyes of many larger species. Members of this genus are solitary, ground-nesting wasps that provision their burrows with paralyzed orthopteran prey.
Tachytes intermedius
square-headed wasp
Tachytes intermedius is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae, distributed across Central America and North America. As a member of the genus Tachytes, it shares the characteristic large green eyes found in many larger species of this group. The species was described by Viereck in 1906. Like other Tachytes, it is a solitary wasp that nests in soil and provisions its burrows with paralyzed orthopteran prey.
Tachytes pennsylvanicus
square-headed wasp
Tachytes pennsylvanicus is a solitary square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. It belongs to a genus commonly known as "green-eyed wasps" due to the distinctive large green eyes of males and larger species. Like other Tachytes, it is a ground-nesting predator that provisions its burrows with paralyzed orthopteran prey. The species was described by Banks in 1921 and occurs in North America.
Trypoxylon
keyhole wasps, pipe organ mud daubers
Trypoxylon is a large genus of solitary wasps in the family Crabronidae, comprising approximately 634 species worldwide. The genus is notable for being the most speciose within its family. All studied species are active hunters of spiders, which they paralyze with venom to provision nests for their larvae. Nesting strategies vary: most species utilize pre-existing cavities such as hollow stems, beetle borings, or abandoned nests, while a minority construct free-standing mud nests. The genus is divided into two subgenera: Trypoxylon (smaller species) and Trypargilum (medium to large species).
Trypoxylon clavatum
square-headed wasp
Trypoxylon clavatum is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae, found in North America. It belongs to the subgenus Trypargilum, which includes medium-sized and larger species in this genus. The species has two recognized subspecies: T. c. clavatum and T. c. johannis. Like other Trypoxylon species, it is a solitary spider-hunting wasp that nests in pre-existing cavities.
Trypoxylon collinum
square-headed wasp
Trypoxylon collinum is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae. It occurs in North America and nests inside hollow tubes. The species was described by F. Smith in 1856. Two subspecies are recognized: T. c. collinum and T. c. rubrocinctum.