Ageniellini, known as the mud-nesting spider wasps, is a tribe of
spider wasps in the subfamily
Pepsinae
The Pepsinae are a subfamily of the spider wasp family, Pompilidae, including the tarantula hawks, as well as smaller species.
Genera
*'' Ageniella'' Banks, 1912
*'' Allaporus'' Banks, 1933
*'' Auplopus'' Spinola, 1841
250px, '' Auplopus carbo ...
.
Description
The Ageniellini are slender-bodied spider wasps. They are distinguished from most other Pompilidae by their petiolate abdominal structure and typical absence of a transverse carina on the first segment of the gaster. These traits are, however, shared with ''
Melanagenia'' of the tribe
Pepsini, which is separated by the lack of malar space, deep lateral sulcus of the pronotum, and wing venation.
Distribution
The tribe Ageniellini is cosmopolitan.
Behavior
Members of Ageniellini have one of three lifestyles that either invade the nests of other
spider wasp
Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary (with the exception of some group-ne ...
nests as
kleptoparasite
Kleptoparasitism (etymologically, parasitism by theft) is a form of feeding in which one animal deliberately takes food from another. The strategy is evolutionarily stable when stealing is less costly than direct feeding, which can mean when foo ...
s, build their own nests in dry soil, or build thimble-shaped nests out of mud.
The most common of these nesting strategies is building mud nests, which are frequently communal in contrast to most other spider wasp groups.
As typical of the rest of the family, the Ageniellini provision their nests with a single spider and then lay an egg on it.
Most of the species remove the legs of their spider prey before bringing it to the nest.
Genera
There are 16 genera within Ageniellini.
* ''
Ageniella''
Banks, 1912
* ''
Atopagenia''
Wasbauer, 1987
* ''
Auplopus''
Spinola, 1841
* ''
Cyemagenia''
Arnold, 1946
* ''
Dichragenia''
Haupt, 1950
* ''
Eragenia''
Banks, 1946
* ''
Dimorphagenia''
Evans, 1973
* ''
Machaerothrix''
Haupt, 1938
* ''
Macromerella''
Banks, 1934
* ''
Macromeris''
Lepeletier, 1831
* ''
Paragenia''
Bingham, 1896
* ''
Phanagenia''
Banks, 1933
* ''
Mystacagenia''
Evans, 1973
* ''
Phanochilus''
Banks, 1944
* ''
Poecilagenia''
Haupt, 1926
* ''
Priocnemella''
Banks, 1925
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q19973586
Pepsinae
Hymenoptera tribes