''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of

Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order (biology), order of insects, comprising the sawfly, sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are Par ...

of the

Sphecidae The Sphecidae are a cosmopolitan family of wasps of the suborder Apocrita that includes sand wasps, mud daubers, and other thread-waisted wasps. The name Sphecidae was formerly given to a much larger grouping of wasps. This was found to be p ...

family of wasps. They are solitary

mud dauber Mud dauber (or "mud wasp" or "dirt dauber") is a name commonly applied to a number of wasps from either the family Sphecidae or Crabronidae which build their nests from mud; this excludes members of the family Vespidae (especially the subfamily Eu ...

s and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, often just inside of windows or vent openings, and it may take a female only a day to construct a cell requiring dozens of trips carrying mud. Females will add new cells one by one to the nest after each cell is provisioned. They provision these nests with spiders, such as

crab spider The Thomisidae are a family of spiders, including about 170 genera and over 2,100 species. The common name crab spider is often linked to species in this family, but is also applied loosely to many other families of spiders. Many members of th ...

s, orb-weaver spiders and jumping spiders in particular, as food for the developing larvae. Each mud cell contains one egg and is provided with several prey items. Females of some species lay a modest average of 15 eggs over their whole lifespan. Various parasites attack these nests, including several species of

cuckoo wasp Commonly known as cuckoo wasps or emerald wasps, the hymenopteran family Chrysididae is a very large cosmopolitan group (over 3000 described species) of parasitoid or kleptoparasitic wasps, often highly sculptured, with brilliant metallic colors ...

s, primarily by sneaking into the nest while the resident mud dauber is out foraging. As is the case with many insect genera, there are many tropical species. Some common temperate species include '' S. caementarium'' and '' S. curvatum''. Like other solitary wasps, ''Sceliphron'' species are not aggressive unless threatened. They are sometimes regarded as beneficial due to their control of spider populations, though the spiders themselves may be beneficial in controlling pest insects. Species such as ''Sceliphron curvatum'' are invasive in some parts of Europe, where they have been observed to rapidly increase their range in recent years.

''Sceliphron'' species

There are 34 valid species of ''Sceliphron''. * '' Sceliphron arabs'' (Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1845) * '' Sceliphron argentifrons'' (

Cresson ''Cresson'' is the French word for ''watercress''. It may refer to: ; Places * Battle of Cresson, a small battle fought on May 1, 1187, in what now is Israel, near Nazareth * Cresson, Pennsylvania, a United States borough * Cressona, Pennsylvania, ...

, 1916) * ''

Sceliphron asiaticum ''Sceliphron asiaticum'' is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae. It is native to the Neotropics, South America and the Caribbean region. Description The adult ''S. asiaticum'' has a black head, a black thorax with yellow ban ...

'' ( Linnaeus, 1758); Neotropics ::Type locality ''In Indiis'' was interpreted as India; syn. ''S. figulum'' * ''

Sceliphron assimile ''Sceliphron assimile'' is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae The Sphecidae are a cosmopolitan family of wasps of the suborder Apocrita that includes sand wasps, mud daubers, and other thread-waisted wasps. The name ...

'' ( Dahlbom, 1843) – Clayman's mud dauber; Texas, Mexico and Caribbean island * ''

Sceliphron aterrimum ''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...

'' (Marquet, 1875) * ''

Sceliphron caementarium ''Sceliphron caementarium'', also known as the yellow-legged mud-dauber wasp, black-and-yellow mud dauber (within the US), or black-waisted mud-dauber (outside of the US), is a species of sphecid wasp. There are some 30 other species of ''Scelip ...

'' ( Drury, 1773) (''Sphex'') – black and yellow mud dauber, yellow-legged mud dauber, black-waisted mud dauber ::North America, established in Europe and Pacific islands by the 1970s * ''

Sceliphron coromandelicum ''Sceliphron coromandelicum'' is a species of solitary mud dauber wasp in the family Sphecidae. The female holotype was collected in Coromandel Coast The Coromandel Coast is the southeastern coastal region of the Indian subcontinent, boun ...

'' ( Lepeletier, 1845) * ''

Sceliphron curvatum ''Sceliphron curvatum'', also known as the Asian mud-dauber wasp, is an insect in the genus ''Sceliphron'' of the wasp family Sphecidae. Like all wasps of this genus, it is a solitary species and builds nests out of mud. ''S. curvatum'' is nativ ...

'' (Smith, 1870) – Asian mud dauber; Asia, Europe since 1970s * ''

Sceliphron deforme ''Sceliphron deforme'' is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae The Sphecidae are a cosmopolitan family of wasps of the suborder Apocrita that includes sand wasps, mud daubers, and other thread-waisted wasps. The name S ...

'' (F. Smith, 1856); Asia, reported from Europe in 2004 * ''

Sceliphron destillatorium ''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...

'' ( Illiger, 1807); southern Palaearctic * ''

Sceliphron fasciatum ''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...

'' (Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1845) * ''

Sceliphron fervens ''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...

'' (F. Smith, 1858) * ''

Sceliphron fistularium ''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...

'' (Dahlbom, 1843); Neotropics * '' Sceliphron formosum'' (F. Smith, 1856); Australia * '' Sceliphron fossuliferum'' (Gribodo, 1895) * ''

Sceliphron funestum ''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...

'' Kohl, 1918 * ''

Sceliphron fuscum ''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...

'' Klug, 1801 * '' Sceliphron intrudens'' (F. Smith, 1858) * ''

Sceliphron isaaci ''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...

'' Jha and Farooqi, 1995 * '' Sceliphron jamaicense'' Fabricius, 1775; Mexico, Caribbean islands * '' Sceliphron javanum'' Lepeletier, 1845 * ''

Sceliphron laetum ''Sceliphron laetum'' is a wasp in the family Sphecidae, the mud-dauber wasps. Like other members of this genus, it is a solitary species and builds cells out of mud in which to rear its young, provisioning them with paralysed spiders, and layin ...

'' (F. Smith, 1856); Australia * '' Sceliphron madraspatanum'' (

Fabricius Fabricius ( la, smith, german: Schmied, Schmidt) is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *people from the Ancient Roman gens Fabricia: **Gaius Fabricius Luscinus, the first of the Fabricii to move to Rome * Johann Goldsmid (1587� ...

, 1781); Mediterranean * ''

Sceliphron murarium ''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...

'' (F. Smith, 1863) * ''

Sceliphron neobilineatum ''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...

'' Jha and Farooqi, 1995 * '' Sceliphron paraintrudens'' Jha and Farooqi, 1995 * '' Sceliphron pietschmanni'' Kohl, 1918 * '' Sceliphron quartinae'' (Gribodo 1884) * '' Sceliphron rectum'' Kohl, 1918 * '' Sceliphron rufopictum'' (F. Smith, 1856) * '' Sceliphron seistaniensis'' Jha and Farooqi, 1995 * ''

Sceliphron shestakovi ''Sceliphron'', also known as black mud daubers or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, o ...

'' Gussakovskij, 1928 * ''

Sceliphron spirifex ''Sceliphron spirifex'' is a species of sphecid wasp. It has a medium-sized body (), which is dull black with a long, yellow petiole (waist). The legs are black with yellow bands, the antennae are black and the wings are clear. Females build ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758); Africa, southern Europe * '' Sceliphron unifasciatum'' (F. Smith, 1860)

References

* Observations on the biology of ''Sceliphron spirifex'' (Linnaeus, 1758) in Romagna, Pezzi G. *

External links

Short discussion on genus ''Sceliphron''.

* ttp://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Sphecidae Online guide to eastern North American SphecidaeDocuments how to differentiate ''Sceliphron caementarium'' from other Sphecids __NOTOC__ {{Taxonbar, from=Q139681 Sphecidae Apoidea genera Taxa named by Johann Christoph Friedrich Klug

''Sceliphron'' species

See also

References

External links