The Sphecidae are a cosmopolitan family of wasps of the suborder Apocrita that includes sand wasps, mud daubers, and other thread-waisted wasps.
The Crabronidae are a large paraphyletic group of wasps, including nearly all of the species formerly comprising the now-defunct superfamily Sphecoidea. It collectively includes well over 200 genera, containing well over 9000 species. Crabronids were originally a part of the Sphecidae, but the latter name is now restricted to a separate family based on what was once the subfamily Sphecinae. Several of the subfamilies of the Crabronidae are often treated as families in their own right, as is true of the most recent phylogenies.
Potter wasps, the Eumeninae, are a cosmopolitan wasp group presently treated as a subfamily of Vespidae, but sometimes recognized in the past as a separate family, Eumenidae.
The subfamily Philanthinae is one of the largest groups in the wasp family Crabronidae, with about 1100 species in 9 genera, most of them in Cerceris; Alexander treats it as having only 8 genera. Historically, this subfamily has frequently been accorded family status. The subfamily consists of solitary, predatory wasps, each genus having its own distinct and consistent prey preferences. The adult females dig tunnels in the ground for nesting.
The subfamily Crabroninae(digger wasps) is the most diverse group in the wasp family Crabronidae, containing over 110 genera and 4,800 described species. The subfamily consists of solitary, predatory wasps. The adult females of many groups dig tunnels in the ground for nesting, but others use different techniques, including the construction of tube-like mud nests.
Astatinae are a cosmopolitan group of solitary wasps, peculiar for their males having very large compound eyes that broadly meet at the top of the head. The largest genus in this subfamily is Astata, with about half of more than 160 species in the subfamily.
Sphex pensylvanicus, the great black wasp, is a species of digger wasp. It lives across most of North America and grows to a size of 20–35 mm (0.8–1.4 in). The larvae feed on living insects that the females paralyze and carry to the underground nest.
Ammophila is the type genus of the subfamily Ammophilinae of the hunting wasp family Sphecidae. Ammophila is a large and cosmopolitan genus, with over 200 species, mostly occurring in the warmer regions of all continents apart from Antarctica.
Ammophila sabulosa, the red-banded sand wasp, is a species of the subfamily Ammophilinae of the solitary hunting wasp family Sphecidae, also called digger wasps. Found across Eurasia, the parasitoid wasp is notable for the mass provisioning behaviour of the females, hunting caterpillars mainly on sunny days, paralysing them with a sting, and burying them in a burrow with a single egg. The species is also remarkable for the extent to which females parasitise their own species, either stealing prey from nests of other females to provision their own nests, or in brood parasitism, removing the other female's egg and laying one of her own instead.
Ammophilinae is a subfamily of thread-waisted wasps in the family Sphecidae. There are about 6 genera and more than 320 described species in Ammophilinae.
Sphex funerarius, the golden digger wasp, is a species of digger wasp of the family Sphecidae.
Trypoxylon is a genus of wasps in the family Crabronidae. All Trypoxylon species that have been studied so far are active hunters of spiders, which they paralyse with a venomous sting, to provide as food to their developing larvae. Depending on the species, they will either construct their own nest from mud or find cavities that already exist. These cavities can range from keyholes to nail holes to previously abandoned nests, and are generally sealed with mud to create cells for their larvae.
Tachytes is a genus of predatory, solitary wasps, containing about 300 species.
Harpactus is a genus of hunting wasps in the tribe Gorytini.
Philanthus pacificus is a species of wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is found from southwestern British Columbia to Baja California and Sonora.
Astata bicolor is a species of wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is found in Central America and North America.
Glenostictia pictifrons is a species of sand wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is found in North America. It is known to be a predator of Neorhynchocephalus volaticus.
Ammophila aberti is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae.
Isodontia auripes, the brown-legged grass-carrier, is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae. The wasp will opportunistically use old nests made by Xylocopa virginica or mining bees. Larvae eat for three days and then spend two forming pupae. Oecanthus is a common prey item throughout I. auripes' range. I. auripes lives along the east coast of the United States.
Palmodes occitanicus is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae.
