''Epipompilus'' is a genus 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 carbona ...

, part of the widespread family Pompilidae. Representatives of ''Epipompilus'' can be found in Australasia and North and South America. This distribution may indicate that ''Epipompilus'' evolved in

Gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final stages ...

and is similar to other Gondwanan taxa such as the southern beech '' Nothofagus'' and ''

Auracaria ''Araucaria'' (; original pronunciation: .ɾawˈka. ɾja is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. There are 20 extant species in New Caledonia (where 14 species are endemic, see New Caledonian ''Araucari ...

''. ''Epipompilus'' is found in North and South America, ranging from Argentina to extreme southern United States, with around a dozen known species. One species, '' E. insularis'' is endemic to New Zealand. In Australia, the genus reaches its greatest diversity, with a greater number of species and a more varied spectrum of morphological features than among the American species. The ''Epipompilus'' species in New Guinea are notably brilliantly coloured and apparently highly evolved species. The genus is restricted to these areas but several Tertiary fossils from the northern hemisphere should probably be placed in ''Epipompilus''.

Ecology and behaviour

These wasps are scarce in collections, probably due to their small size and the fact that they rarely visit flowers. A single male '' E. turneri'' which was collected on ''

Leptospermum ''Leptospermum'' is a genus of shrubs and small trees in the myrtle family Myrtaceae commonly known as tea trees, although this name is sometimes also used for some species of ''Melaleuca''. Most species are endemic to Australia, with the greate ...

'' in New South Wales is one of the few flower records. In Australia observation and collection have often been associated with the trunks of living '' Eucalyptus'' trees. The morphology of many of the species suggests that they are adapted for crawling under bark and for entering crevices to search for spiders. Prey recorded includes spiders from the family Sparassidae. These wasps probably do not build nests but hunt spiders underneath bark and lay eggs on them as they find them. Taken into consideration with the many primitive structural features of members of this genus, it is suggestive that the hunting technique of ''Epipompilus'' represents an ancestral type of behaviour for spider wasps. One of three new species identified in 2020, based on a single specimen seen in 2018, '' E. namadji'', is named after the Namadgi National Park in the Australian Capital Territory, in which it was found. Efforts are ongoing by teams from the

Australian National Insect Collection The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency responsible for scientific research. CSIRO works with leading organisations around the world. From its headquarters in Canberra, CSIRO ...

at the

CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentar ...

to find more of the wasps, after nearly 80 per cent of the

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

was lost in the

2019–20 Australian bushfire season The 201920 Australian bushfire season (Black Summer), was a period of bushfires in many parts of Australia, which, due to its unusual intensity, size, duration, and uncontrollable dimension, is considered a megafire. The Australian National ...

Species

The following species have been assigned to ''Epipompilus'': *'' Epipompilus albofasciatus'' Evans, 1972 *''

Epipompilus aztecus ''Epipompilus aztecus'' is a Neotropical spider wasp belonging to the Pompilid subfamily Ctenocerinae. Description A black and reddish brown wasp. Distribution From southern Mexico to Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul () is one of the ...

'' Cresson, 1869 *'' Epipompilus caeruleus'' Evans, 1972 *'' Epipompilus cardaleae'' Evans, 1972 *'' Epipompilus compactus'' Evans, 1972 *'' Epipompilus delicatus'' Turner, 1910 *'' Epipompilus depressus'' Evans, 1962 *'' Epipompilus excelsus'' Bradley, 1944 *'' Epipompilus exleyae'' Evans, 1972 *''

Epipompilus formosus ''Epipompilus'' is a genus of spider wasps in the subfamily Pepsinae, part of the widespread family Pompilidae. Representatives of ''Epipompilus'' can be found in Australasia and North and South America. This distribution may indicate that ''E ...

'' Evans, 1972 *'' Epipompilus gilesi'' Turner, 1910 *'' Epipompilus hackeri'' Evans, 1972 *'' Epipompilus inca'' Evans, 1968 *'' Epipompilus incompletus'' Evans, 1972 *''

Epipompilus insularis ''Epipompilus insularis'' is a species of spider wasp which is endemic to New Zealand and it is the only species of the genus ''Epipompilus'' found in New Zealand. Description A relatively small, mainly black spider wasp with yellowish tinged ...

'' Kohl, 1884 *'' Epipompilus jocosus'' Evans, 1968 *'' Epipompilus matthewsi'' Evans, 1972 *''

Epipompilus mirabundus ''Epipompilus'' is a genus of spider wasps in the subfamily Pepsinae, part of the widespread family Pompilidae. Representatives of ''Epipompilus'' can be found in Australasia and North and South America. This distribution may indicate that ''E ...

'' Yuan & Rodriguez, 2020 *'' Epipompilus montivagus'' Evans, 1972 *'' Epipompilus multifasciatus'' Evans, 1972 *''

Epipompilus namadji ''Epipompilus'' is a genus of spider wasps in the subfamily Pepsinae, part of the widespread family Pompilidae. Representatives of ''Epipompilus'' can be found in Australasia and North and South America. This distribution may indicate that ''E ...

'' Yuan & Rodriguez, 2020 *'' Epipompilus neboissi'' Evans, 1972 *'' Epipompilus nigribasis'' Banks, 1925 *'' Epipompilus pallidus'' Evans, 1962 *'' Epipompilus papuensis'' Evans, 1972 *''

Epipompilus pauper ''Epipompilus'' is a genus of spider wasps in the subfamily Pepsinae, part of the widespread family Pompilidae. Representatives of ''Epipompilus'' can be found in Australasia and North and South America. This distribution may indicate that ''E ...

'' Evans, 1972 *'' Epipompilus pictipennis'' Evans, 1962 *'' Epipompilus pulcherrimus'' Evans, 1955 *'' Epipompilus rieki'' Evans, 1972 *'' Epipompilus submetallicus'' Evans, 1972 *'' Epipompilus taree'' Yuan & Rodriguez, 2020 *''

Epipompilus tasmanicus ''Epipompilus'' is a genus of spider wasps in the subfamily Pepsinae, part of the widespread family Pompilidae. Representatives of ''Epipompilus'' can be found in Australasia and North and South America. This distribution may indicate that ''E ...

'' Evans, 1972 *'' Epipompilus tucumanus'' Evans, 1968 *''

Epipompilus turneri ''Epipompilus'' is a genus of spider wasps in the subfamily Pepsinae, part of the widespread family Pompilidae. Representatives of ''Epipompilus'' can be found in Australasia and North and South America. This distribution may indicate that ''E ...

'' Evans, 1962 *'' Epipompilus variegatus'' Evans, 1972

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5383184 Hymenoptera genera Pepsinae