Notes on the Nesting Behavior of Philanthus Lepidus Cresson (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae)

Nesting behavior of Podium denticulatum Smith (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae).

The nesting behavior of Podium denticulatum Smith was studied on the campus of Ribeirão Preto of the Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brazil, from September 2003 to August 2005. The wasps established their nests in bamboo canes ranging from 11.4 cm to 26.2 cm in length and from 0.7 cm to 1.8 cm in internal diameter. Podium denticulatum nested almost exclusively in the hot and wet season (Septembe...

The Nesting and Foraging Behavior of Perdita texana (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)

Perdita (Macrotera) texana is a ground nesting, univoltine, facultatively communal bee species found in western Texas and southern Oklahoma. As many as 28 females may share a single nest, but most nests have no more than five females and approximately 25% of the nests are occupied by a single female. Most nests are constructed de novo each year but some females reuse their natal nests. These is...

A Comparative Study of Mating Strategies in Two Species of Philanthus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)

Alternative mating strategies in the digger wasp Philanthus zebratus Cresson.

Males of at least six species of the digger wasp genus Philanthus are territorial, defending areas on the ground and evidently marking these with a pheromone. This is also true of P. zebratus at two widely separate localities in Colorado. However, males in an aggregation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, are nonterritorial and participate in flights serving to intercept females leaving and entering the...

The Peruvian Amazonian species of Epirhyssa Cresson (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Rhyssinae), with notes on tropical species richness.

Epirhyssa Cresson 1865 is a large tropical genus of the family Ichneumonidae. It is the most diverse genus of the subfamily Rhyssinae with about 118 species worldwide. In this study we conducted four long-term field inventories to review the Peruvian Amazonian species of the genus. We provide illustrations, diagnosis and an identification key to the species currently known to occur in the regio...