Cicada killer wasps | |
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Mating western cicada killers, Sphecius grandis (Big Bend, Texas, USA). The male is uppermost. | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Crabronidae |
Tribe: | Gorytini |
Genus: | Sphecius Dahlbom, 1844 |
Type species | |
Sphecius speciosus (Drury, 1773) | |
Species | |
Some 21, see text |
Cicada killer wasps (genus Sphecius) are large, solitary, ground-dwelling, predatory wasps. They are so named because they hunt cicadas and provision their nests with them, after stinging and paralyzing them. Twenty-one species worldwide are recognized. The highest diversity occurs in the region between North Africa and Central Asia.
In North America, the term "cicada killer wasp" usually refers to the most well-known species, the eastern cicada killer (S. speciosus). A few other related genera also are sometimes referred to as "cicada killers", e.g. Liogorytes in South America and Exeirus in Australia.
The use of cicadas as prey is in keeping with the typical behavior of the tribe Gorytini, which tend to specialize on various members of the Cicadomorpha as prey items.
This list of species is probably complete as of March 31, 2009. It has been adapted from the Catalog of Sphecius species (California Academy of Sciences). Notable subspecies are also given.
More recently, it has been suspected that the western cicada killer ( S. grandis ) represents more than one species. Also, some evidence suggests that either the eastern cicada killer ( S. speciosus ) has a subspecies or closely related species that mimics the Pacific cicada killer ( S. convallis ). Alternatively, when they were already well distinct species, significant hybridization has occurred between them, though not enough to fully overcome their reproductive isolation. [1]
Populus section Aigeiros is a section of three species in the genus Populus, the poplars. Like some other species in the genus Populus, they are commonly known as cottonwoods. The species are native to North America, Europe, and western Asia. In the past, as many as six species were recognized, but recent trends have been to accept just three species, treating the others as subspecies of P. deltoides.
Sphecius speciosus, often simply referred to as the cicada killer or the cicada hawk, is a large, solitary digger wasp species in the family Crabronidae. The name may be applied to any species of crabronid that preys on cicadas, though in North America, it is typically applied to this species, also referred to as the eastern cicada killer in order to further differentiate it from the multiple other examples of related wasp species. Sometimes, they are called sand hornets, although they are not hornets, which belong to the family Vespidae. This species can be found in the Eastern and Midwest U.S. and southwards into Mexico and Central America. They are so named because they hunt cicadas and provision their nests with them. Cicada killers exert a measure of natural control on cicada populations, and as such they may directly benefit the deciduous trees upon which the cicadas feed.
Grindelia (gumweed) is a genus of plants native to the Americas belonging to the sunflower family. The genus was named for Latvian botanist David Hieronymus Grindel, 1776–1836.
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Sphecius grandis, also called the western cicada killer, is a species of cicada killer wasp (Sphecius). The western species shares the same nesting biology as its fellow species, the eastern cicada killer. S. grandis, like all other species of the genus Sphecius, mainly provides cicadas for its offspring. It forms nest aggregations and mates and broods once in a year, in July and early August. The wasp is on average 3 cm (1 in) to 5 cm (2 in) in length and is amber-yellow with yellow rings on its abdomen.
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Sphecius convallis, the Pacific cicada killer, is a species of sand wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is found in Central America and North America.
Sphecius hogardii, the Caribbean cicada killer, is a species of sand wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is found in the Caribbean and North America.
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