Wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...

s of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are

cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

s that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''

sensu lato ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

''), though most apart from the Sphecinae have now been moved to the family

Crabronidae The Crabronidae are a large paraphyletic group (nominally a family) of wasps, including nearly all of the species formerly comprising the now-defunct superfamily Sphecoidea. It collectively includes well over 200 genera, containing well over 9 ...

. There are over 130 known ''Sphex'' species.

Behaviour

In preparation for egg laying, they construct a protected "nest" (some species dig nests in the ground, while others use pre-existing holes) and then stock it with captured insects. Typically, the prey are left alive, but

paralyzed Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 5 ...

wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...

toxins. The wasps lay their eggs in the provisioned nest and the wasp

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 feed on the paralyzed insects as they develop. The great golden digger wasp (''

Sphex ichneumoneus ''Sphex ichneumoneus'', known commonly as the great golden digger wasp or great golden sand digger is a wasp in the family Sphecidae. It is identified by the golden pubescence on its head and thorax, its reddish orange legs, and partly reddish or ...

'') is found in North America. The developing wasps spend the winter in their nest. When the new generation of adults emerge, they contain the genetically programmed behaviors required to carry out another season of nest building. During the summer, a female might build as many as six nests, each with several compartments for her eggs. The building and provisioning of the nests takes place in a stereotypical, step-by-step fashion. ''Sphex'' has been shown, as in some

Jean Henri Fabre Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre (21 December 1823 – 11 October 1915) was a French naturalist, entomologist, and author known for the lively style of his popular books on the lives of insects. Biography Fabre was born on 21 December 1823 in Saint ...

studies, not to count how many crickets it collects for its nest. Although the wasp instinctively searches for four crickets, it cannot take into account a lost cricket, whether the cricket has been lost to ants or flies or simply been misplaced. ''Sphex'' drags its cricket prey towards its burrow by the antennae; if the antennae of the cricket are cut off, the wasp would not think to continue to pull its prey by a leg. The navigation abilities of ''Sphex'' were studied by the ethologist

Niko Tinbergen Nikolaas "Niko" Tinbergen (; ; 15 April 1907 – 21 December 1988) was a Dutch biologist and ornithologist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Karl von Frisch and Konrad Lorenz for their discoveries concerning the or ...

. Richard Dawkins and

Jane Brockmann H. Jane Brockmann is an emeritus professor at the University of Florida known for her research on animal behavior, especially in the mating and nesting behavior of horseshoe crabs. In 2008, she was elected a fellow of the American Association fo ...

later studied female rivalry over nesting holes in ''Sphex ichneumoneus''.

Use in philosophy

Some writers in the

philosophy of mind Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the ontology and nature of the mind and its relationship with the body. The mind–body problem is a paradigmatic issue in philosophy of mind, although a number of other issues are add ...

, most notably Daniel Dennett, have cited ''Sphexs behavior for their arguments about human and animal

free will Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to ac ...

. Some ''Sphex'' wasps drop a paralyzed insect near the opening of the nest. Before taking provisions into the nest, the ''Sphex'' first inspects the nest, leaving the prey outside. During the inspection, an experimenter can move the prey a few inches away from the opening. When the ''Sphex'' emerges from the nest ready to drag in the prey, it finds the prey missing. The ''Sphex'' quickly locates the moved prey, but now its behavioral "program" has been reset. After dragging the prey back to the opening of the nest, once again the ''Sphex'' is compelled to inspect the nest, so the prey is again dropped and left outside during another stereotypical inspection of the nest. This

iteration Iteration is the repetition of a process in order to generate a (possibly unbounded) sequence of outcomes. Each repetition of the process is a single iteration, and the outcome of each iteration is then the starting point of the next iteration. ...

can be repeated several times without the ''Sphex'' changing its sequence; by some accounts, endlessly. Dennett's argument quotes an account of ''Sphex'' behavior from

Dean Wooldridge Dean Everett Wooldridge (May 30, 1913 in Chickasha, Oklahoma – September 20, 2006 in Santa Barbara, California) was a prominent engineer in the aerospace industry.Stenbit JP (2008) ''Dean E Wooldridge'', Memorial Tributes: National Academy of En ...

's ''Machinery of the Brain'' (1963). Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett have used this mechanistic behavior as an example of how seemingly thoughtful behavior can actually be quite mindless, the opposite of free will (or, as Dennett described it, sphexishness). Philosopher Fred Keijzer challenges this use of ''Sphex'', citing experiments in which behavioral adaptations are observed after many iterations. Keijzer sees the persistence of the ''Sphex'' example in cognitive theory as an indication of its rhetorical usefulness, not its factual accuracy. Of course, the repeated inspection of a disturbed nest may very well be an adaptive behavior, thus diminishing the aptness of Hofstadter's metaphor. As he concludes, "There is no reason for humans to remain stuck in an endless behavioral loop when wasps don’t."

Species

The genus ''Sphex'' contains 132 extant species: *''

Sphex abyssinicus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the Sp ...

'' (Arnold, 1928) *''

Sphex afer Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the Sp ...

'' Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1845 *''

Sphex ahasverus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), th ...

'' Kohl, 1890 *''

Sphex alacer Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Kohl, 1895 *'' Sphex antennatus'' F. Smith, 1856 *'' Sphex argentatissimus'' Dörfel and Ohl, 2015 *'' Sphex argentatus'' Fabricius, 1787 *'' Sphex argentinus'' Taschenberg, 1869 *'' Sphex ashmeadi'' (Fernald, 1906) *'' Sphex atropilosus'' Kohl, 1885 *'' Sphex basilicus'' (R. Turner, 1915) *'' Sphex bilobatus'' Kohl, 1895 *'' Sphex bohemanni'' Dahlbom, 1845 *'' Sphex brachystomus'' Kohl, 1890 *'' Sphex brasilianus'' Saussure, 1867 *'' Sphex brevipetiolatus'' Dörfel and Ohl, 2015 *''

Sphex caelebs Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Dörfel and Ohl, 2015 *'' Sphex caeruleanus'' Drury, 1773 *''

Sphex caliginosus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Erichson, 1849 *'' Sphex camposi'' Campos, 1922 *''

Sphex carbonicolor Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Van der Vecht, 1973 *''

Sphex castaneipes Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Dahlbom, 1843 *''

Sphex cognatus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' F. Smith, 1856 *'' Sphex confrater'' Kohl, 1890 *'' Sphex corporosus'' Dörfel and Ohl, 2015 *'' Sphex cristi'' Genaro ''in'' Genaro & Juarrero, 2000 *''

Sphex cubensis Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' (Fernald, 1906) *''

Sphex darwinensis Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' R. Turner, 1912 *'' Sphex decipiens'' Kohl, 1895 *'' Sphex decoratus'' F. Smith, 1873 *''

Sphex deplanatus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Kohl, 1895 *'' Sphex diabolicus'' F. Smith, 1858 *'' Sphex dorsalis'' Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1845 *'' Sphex dorycus'' Guérin-Méneville, 1838 *'' Sphex ephippium'' F. Smith, 1856 *''

Sphex ermineus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Kohl, 1890 *'' Sphex erythrinus'' (Guiglia, 1939) *'' Sphex ferrugineipes'' W. Fox, 1897 *'' Sphex finschii'' Kohl, 1890 *'' Sphex flammeus'' Dörfel and Ohl, 2015 *''

Sphex flavipennis Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the Sp ...

'' Fabricius, 1793 *''

Sphex flavovestitus ''Sphex flavovestitus'' is a species of thread-waisted wasp 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 ...

'' F. Smith, 1856 *'' Sphex formosellus'' Van der Vecht, 1957 *'' Sphex fortunatus'' Dörfel and Ohl, 2015 *'' Sphex fumicatus'' Christ, 1791 *''

Sphex fumipennis Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' F. Smith, 1856 *''

Sphex funerarius ''Sphex funerarius'', the golden digger wasp, is a species of digger wasp of the family Sphecidae. Description ''Sphex funerarius'' can reach a length of . These large, solitary, ground-nesting wasps are black with an orange-red large band on ...

'' Gussakovskij, 1934 – Golden Digger Wasp *'' Sphex gaullei'' Berland, 1927 *'' Sphex gilberti'' R. Turner, 1908 *''

Sphex gracilis Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Dörfel and Ohl, 2015 *'' Sphex gisteli'' Strand, 1916 *'' Sphex guatemalensis'' Cameron, 1888 *'' Sphex habenus'' Say, 1832 *'' Sphex haemorrhoidalis'' Fabricius, 1781 *''

'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1758) – great golden digger wasp *'' Sphex imporcatus'' Dörfel and Ohl, 2015 *''

Sphex incomptus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), th ...

'' Gerstaecker, 1871 *'' Sphex ingens'' F. Smith, 1856 *'' Sphex inusitatus'' Yasumatsu, 1935 *'' Sphex jamaicensis'' (Drury, 1773) *''

Sphex jansei Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Cameron, 1910 *'' Sphex jucundus'' Dörfel and Ohl, 2015 *'' Sphex kolthoffi'' Gussakovskij, 1938 *'' Sphex lanatus'' Mocsáry, 1883 *''

Sphex latilobus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Dörfel and Ohl, 2015 *''

Sphex latreillei Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1831 *'' Sphex latro'' Erichson, 1849 *'' Sphex leuconotus'' Brullé, 1833 *'' Sphex libycus'' Beaumont, 1956 *'' Sphex lucae'' Saussure, 1867 *'' Sphex luctuosus'' F. Smith, 1856 *'' Sphex madasummae'' Van der Vecht, 1973 *''

Sphex malagassus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Saussure, 1890 *''

Sphex mandibularis Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Cresson, 1869 *''

Sphex maroccanus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Schmid-Egger, 2019 *'' Sphex maximiliani'' Kohl, 1890 *'' Sphex melanocnemis'' Kohl, 1885 *'' Sphex melanopus'' Dahlbom, 1843 *'' Sphex melas'' Gussakovskij, 1930 *'' Sphex mendozanus'' Brèthes, 1909 *'' Sphex mimulus'' R. Turner, 1910 *'' Sphex mochii'' Giordani Soika, 1942 *'' Sphex modestus'' F. Smith, 1856 *'' Sphex muticus'' Kohl, 1885 *'' Sphex neavei'' (Arnold, 1928) *'' Sphex neoumbrosus'' Jha & Farooqui, 1996 *''

Sphex nigrohirtus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Kohl, 1895 *''

Sphex nitidiventris Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Spinola, 1851 *''

Sphex nudus ''Sphex nudus'', the katydid wasp, is a species of thread-waisted wasp 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 w ...

'' Fernald, 1903 – Katydid Wasp *'' Sphex observabilis'' (R. Turner, 1918) *'' Sphex opacus'' Dahlbom, 1845 *''

Sphex optimus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' F. Smith, 1856 *'' Sphex oxianus'' Gussakovskij, 1928 *'' Sphex paulinierii'' Guérin-Méneville, 1843 *''

Sphex pensylvanicus ''Sphex pensylvanicus'', the great black wasp, is a species of digger wasp. It lives across most of North America and grows to a size of . The larvae feed on living insects that the females paralyze and carry to the underground nest. Distribut ...

'' Linnaeus, 1763 – great black wasp *'' Sphex permagnus'' (Willink, 1951) *'' Sphex peruanus'' Kohl, 1890 *'' Sphex praedator'' F. Smith, 1858 *'' Sphex pretiosus'' Dörfel and Ohl, 2015 *''

Sphex prosper Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Kohl, 1890 *'' Sphex pruinosus'' Germar, 1817 *'' Sphex resinipes'' (Fernald, 1906) *'' Sphex resplendens'' Kohl, 1885 *''

Sphex rex Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Hensen, 1991 *'' Sphex rhodosoma'' (R. Turner, 1915) *''

Sphex rufinervis Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Pérez, 1985 *'' Sphex rufiscutis'' (R. Turner, 1918) *''

Sphex rugifer Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Kohl, 1890 *''

Sphex satanas Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Kohl, 1898 *''

Sphex schlaeflei Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Schmid-Egger, 2019 *'' Sphex schoutedeni'' Kohl, 1913 *''

Sphex schrottkyi Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' (Bertoni, 1918) *''

Sphex semifossulatus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Van der Vecht, 1973 *'' Sphex sericeus'' (Fabricius, 1804) *'' Sphex servillei'' Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1845 *'' Sphex solomon'' Hensen, 1991 *'' Sphex stadelmanni'' Kohl, 1895 *''

Sphex staudingeri Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Gribodo, 1894 *'' Sphex subhyalinus'' W. Fox, 1899 *'' Sphex subtruncatus'' Dahlbom, 1843 *'' Sphex tanoi'' Tsuneki, 1974 *'' Sphex taschenbergi'' Magretti, 1884 *'' Sphex tepanecus'' Saussure, 1867 *''

Sphex texanus ''Sphex texanus'' is a species of thread-waisted wasp 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 ...

'' Cresson, 1873 *'' Sphex tinctipennis'' Cameron, 1888 *'' Sphex tomentosus'' Fabricius, 1787 *'' Sphex torridus'' F. Smith, 1873 *''

Sphex vestitus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the Sp ...

'' F. Smith, 1856 *'' Sphex walshae'' Hensen, 1991 *'' Sphex wilsoni'' Hensen, 1991 *'' Sphex zubaidiyacus'' Augul, 2013

Fossil Species

*†'' Sphex bischoffi'' Zeuner, 1931 *†''

Sphex giganteus Wasps of the genus ''Sphex'' (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. ''Sphex'' is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (''sensu lato''), though most apart from the S ...

'' Heer, 1867 *†'' Sphex obscurus'' Statz, 1936

References

External links

Great golden digger wasp ''Sphex ichneumoneus'' - large format diagnostic photographs, wasp with katydid prey Online Identification Guide to eastern North American ''Sphex''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q311144 Sphecidae Apoidea genera Articles containing video clips Biological pest control wasps