Distribution
|
Democratic Republic of Congo,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Yemen. |
Biology
|
Excavate shallow, single celled nests in friable soil.
The female provisions her nest with a single moth caterpillar usually of
the family Noctuidae. The burrow shaft is filled in with raked soil and
small pebbles, which are compacted by the female. Females hunt their
subterranean cutworm prey by antennating on the surface of the ground.
Once a caterpillar is detected she digs down, retrieves the prey and
stings it multiple times. She carries the paralyzed caterpillar beneath
her body and hides it while constructing the nest. The caterpillar is
dragged backwards into the burrow and a single egg is laid on the first
or second abdominal segment (Gess & Gess, 2014). Important
pollinators of orchids (Steiner et al. 1994). |
References
|
Bohart, R.M. &
Menke, A. S. 1976. Sphecid Wasps of the World: a
Generic Revision. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.
Brothers D.J. 1999. Phylogeny and
evolution of wasps, ants and bees (Hymenoptera, Chrysidoidea, Vespoidea and
Apoidea) Zoologica Scripta 28: 233–250.
Finnamore, A.T. & Michener, C.D. 1993. Superfamily Apoidea (pp.
279-357). In GOULET, H. & HUBER, J. (eds). Hymenoptera of the World:
an identification guide to families. Research Branch, Agriculture
Canada, Ottawa, Canada, 668 pp.
Gess, S.K. & Gess, F.W. 2014.
Wasps and bees in southern Africa. SANBI
Biodiversity Series 24. South African National Biodiversity Institute,
Pretoria. 320 pp.
Menke, A.S. 1966. The genera of the Ammophilini
(Hymenoptera; Sphecidae). The Canadian Entomologist 98: 147-152.
Steiner, K.E., Whitehead, V.B., Johnson, S.D. 1994.
Floral and pollinator divergence in two sexually deceptive South African
orchids. American Journal of Botany 81: 185-194.
https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1537-2197.1994.tb15428.x |
Credits
|
Photographs © Simon van Noort or Norman Larsen (Iziko Museums
of South Africa), or © Steve Marshall (University of Guelph), or ©
Mayur Prag.
Map illustration © Simon van Noort
(Iziko Museums of South Africa).
|
