Cyphononyx optimus

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Cyphononyx optimus
Pompilidae inaturalist 124148802 01.jpg
Cyphononyx optimus from South Africa
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Pompilidae
Genus: Cyphononyx
Species:
C. optimus
Binomial name
Cyphononyx optimus
(Smith, 1855)
Synonyms
  • Cyphononyx abyssinica Gribodo, 1879
  • Cyphononyx lynx Lucas, 1897
  • Pompilus momboensis Cameron
  • Pompilus optimus Smith, 1855
  • Priocnemis lynx Lucas
  • Priocnemis optimis Smith
  • Salius lynx Lucas
  • Salius melanoceras Cameron, 1910
  • Salius momboensis Cameron, 1910
  • Salius optimus (Smith) ù
  • Salius schoenlandi Cameron, 1905
  • Salius spilostomus Cameron, 1905

[1]

Cyphononyx optimus is a species of spider wasps in the family Pompilidae. [1]

Contents

Description

C. optimus can reach a total length of about 50 mm (2.0 in). The body length of females (head to tip of abdomen) is 19-26 mm, and of males, 14-18 mm. [2] has black antennae, thorax and abdomen. The head is mostly black. (The labrum and parts of the mandibles and clypeus are dark red, as are thin lines adjacent to the eyes.) The legs, are ferruginous (yellowish to red) excepting the coxae, trochanters and base of the femora, which are black. The wings are black, too, with bluish reflections. [3] [2]

Females of this genus hunt and paralyse large spiders, mainly Palystes species. [4] [3]

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found in subtropical forests, savanna, and bushveld of Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. [1] [4] [3] It is fairly common in areas with abundant rainfall (average annual rainfall of over 750 mm). [2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Catalogue of life
  2. 1 2 3 Arnold, G. 1932. The Psammocharidae of the Ethiopian region. Part I. Subfamily Pepsinae. Annals of the Transvaal Museum 14: 298-300. PDF
  3. 1 2 3 Mike Picker, Charles Griffiths, Alan Weaving Field Guide to Insects of South Africa
  4. 1 2 Wasp Web Archived 2015-02-24 at the Wayback Machine