The Euparagiinae are a small subfamily of rare wasps in the family
Vespidae
The Vespidae are a large (nearly 5000 species), diverse, cosmopolitan family of wasps, including nearly all the known eusocial wasps (such as ''Polistes fuscatus'', ''Vespa orientalis'', and ''Vespula germanica'') and many solitary wasps. Each ...
containing a single extant genus ''
Euparagia''. The group had a cosmopolitan distribution in past geological times extending back to the Early Cretaceous, but is now a geographically
relict
A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon.
Biology
A relict (or relic) is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas.
Geology and geomorphology
In geology, a r ...
taxon known only from the desert regions of the
Southwestern United States and northwestern
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
.
This subfamily, with this same rank, has been previously grouped with the
pollen wasps and treated together as the family "Masaridae". Now, the Euparagiinae are considered an independent subfamily and the
sister group of the remainder of the
Vespidae
The Vespidae are a large (nearly 5000 species), diverse, cosmopolitan family of wasps, including nearly all the known eusocial wasps (such as ''Polistes fuscatus'', ''Vespa orientalis'', and ''Vespula germanica'') and many solitary wasps. Each ...
. Their wing venation is unique and differs from all other Vespidae; they also characteristically have a single small pale spot at the posterior edge of the
mesonotum
The mesothorax is the middle of the three segments of the thorax of hexapods, and bears the second pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the mesonotum (dorsal), the mesosternum (ventral), and the mesopleuron (lateral) on ...
, and the femora and trochanters of the male front legs are modified in species-specific shapes.
The biology of only one species (''
Euparagia scutellaris'') is known, and the females provision nests in the soil with
weevil larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
...
e.
[Carpenter, J. M. & L. S. Kimsey. 2009. The genus ''Euparagia'' Cresson (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Euparagiinae). ''American Museum Novitates'' 3643: 1-1]
Taxonomy
*''
Euparagia''
Ezra Townsend Cresson, Cresson, 1879
**''
Euparagia boregoensis''
Bohart, 1948
**''
Euparagia desertorum''
Bohart, 1948
**''
Euparagia maculiceps''
( Cameron, 1904)
**''
Euparagia platiniceps''
Bohart, 1938
**''
Euparagia richardsi''
Bohart & Krombein 1979
**''
Euparagia scutellaris''
Cresson, 1879
**''
Euparagia siccata''
Bohart, 1988
**''
Euparagia timberlakei''
Bohart, 1948
**''
Euparagia unidentata''
Carpenter & Kimsey Kimsey is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Chad Kimsey (1906–1942), American baseball player
*Chris Kimsey (born 1951), English record producer, mixer, and musician
*Jim Kimsey (1939–2016), co-founder, CEO, and first chairm ...
, 1988
**''
Euparagia yuma''
Bohart, 1988
* ''
Curiosivespa''
Rasnitsyn, 1975
** ''
Curiosivespa antiqua''
Carpenter & Rasnitsyn, 1990 Zaza Formation
The Zaza Formation is a geological formation located in Buryatia (Russia). It dates to the Lower Cretaceous period. It is Aptian in age and consists of sandstones, siltstones, marls and bituminous shales, deposited in a stratified lake. It is s ...
, Russia, Early Cretaceous (
Aptian)
** ''
Curiosivespa curiosa''
Rasnitsyn, 1975 Kzyl-Zhar, Kazakhstan, Late Cretaceous (
Turonian
The Turonian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the second age in the Late Cretaceous Epoch, or a stage in the Upper Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 93.9 ± 0.8 Ma and 89.8 ± 1 Ma (million years ago). The Turonian is preceded b ...
)
** ''
Curiosivespa derivata''
Carpenter & Rasnitsyn, 1990 Dzun-Bain Formation, Mongolia, Early Cretaceous (
Aptian)
** ''
Curiosivespa magna''
Rasnitsyn, 1975 Kzyl-Zhar, Kazakhstan, Late Cretaceous (
Turonian
The Turonian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the second age in the Late Cretaceous Epoch, or a stage in the Upper Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 93.9 ± 0.8 Ma and 89.8 ± 1 Ma (million years ago). The Turonian is preceded b ...
)
** ''
Curiosivespa orapa''
Brothers, 1992 Orapa, Botswana, Late Cretaceous (
Turonian
The Turonian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the second age in the Late Cretaceous Epoch, or a stage in the Upper Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 93.9 ± 0.8 Ma and 89.8 ± 1 Ma (million years ago). The Turonian is preceded b ...
)
** ''
Curiosivespa striata''
Perrard & Carpenter, 2017 Burmese amber
Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ...
, Myanmar, Late Cretaceous (
Cenomanian)
** ''
Curiosivespa zigrasi''
Perrard & Carpenter, 2017 Burmese amber
Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ...
, Myanmar, Late Cretaceous (
Cenomanian)
* ''
Priorparagia''
Brothers & Rasnitsyn, 2008
** ''
Priorparagia anancites''
Brothers & Rasnitsyn, 2008 Orapa, Botswana, Late Cretaceous (
Turonian
The Turonian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the second age in the Late Cretaceous Epoch, or a stage in the Upper Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 93.9 ± 0.8 Ma and 89.8 ± 1 Ma (million years ago). The Turonian is preceded b ...
)
References
Fauna of the Southwestern United States
Vespidae
Taxa named by William Harris Ashmead
{{Vespidae-stub