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. Th ...
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
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 ...
(''
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 co ...
''), 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 50 ...
by
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. Th ...
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.
The ...
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-LÃ ...
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
Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford and was Professor for Public Understanding of Science in the University of Oxford from 1995 to 2008. An ath ...
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 addre ...
, most notably
Daniel Dennett
Daniel Clement Dennett III (born March 28, 1942) is an American philosopher, writer, and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relat ...
, 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 actio ...
.
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
Douglas Richard Hofstadter (born February 15, 1945) is an American scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research includes concepts such as the sense of self in relation to the external world, consciousness, an ...
and
Daniel Dennett
Daniel Clement Dennett III (born March 28, 1942) is an American philosopher, writer, and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relat ...
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
![Sphex argentatus fumosus 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Sphex_argentatus_fumosus_1.jpg)
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
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 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
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 brasilianus
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, 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
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 ...
''
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
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 corporosus
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 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
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, 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
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 ...
''
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
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 ...
''
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
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 ...
''
Berland, 1927
*''
Sphex gilberti
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, 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
*''
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 ...
''
(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
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the sta ...
) – great golden digger wasp
*''
Sphex imporcatus
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 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
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 inusitatus
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 ...
''
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
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 kolthoffi
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 ...
''
Gussakovskij, 1938
*''
Sphex lanatus
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 ...
''
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
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 ...
''
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
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, 1885
*''
Sphex melanopus''
Dahlbom, 1843
*''
Sphex melas''
Gussakovskij, 1930
*''
Sphex mendozanus
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 ...
''
Brèthes, 1909
*''
Sphex mimulus
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, 1910
*''
Sphex mochii
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 ...
''
Giordani Soika, 1942
*''
Sphex modestus''
F. Smith, 1856
*''
Sphex muticus''
Kohl, 1885
*''
Sphex neavei
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 ...
''
(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 Sphex, 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.
Dis ...
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Linnaeus, 1763 – great black wasp
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Sphex permagnus
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 ...
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(Willink, 1951)
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Sphex peruanus''
Kohl, 1890
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Sphex praedator''
F. Smith, 1858
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Sphex pretiosus''
Dörfel and Ohl, 2015
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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 ...
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Kohl, 1890
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Sphex pruinosus
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 ...
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Germar, 1817
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Sphex resinipes''
(Fernald, 1906)
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Sphex resplendens''
Kohl, 1885
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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 ...
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Hensen, 1991
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Sphex rhodosoma''
(R. Turner, 1915)
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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 ...
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Pérez, 1985
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Sphex rufiscutis
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 ...
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(R. Turner, 1918)
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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 ...
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Kohl, 1890
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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 ...
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Kohl, 1898
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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 ...
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Schmid-Egger, 2019
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Sphex schoutedeni''
Kohl, 1913
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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 ...
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(Bertoni, 1918)
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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 ...
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Van der Vecht, 1973
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Sphex sericeus''
(Fabricius, 1804)
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Sphex servillei
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 ...
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Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1845
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Sphex solomon''
Hensen, 1991
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Sphex stadelmanni''
Kohl, 1895
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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 ...
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Gribodo, 1894
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Sphex subhyalinus''
W. Fox, 1899
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Sphex subtruncatus
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 ...
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Dahlbom, 1843
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Sphex tanoi''
Tsuneki, 1974
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Sphex taschenbergi''
Magretti, 1884
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Sphex tepanecus''
Saussure, 1867
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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 ...
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Cresson, 1873
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Sphex tinctipennis''
Cameron, 1888
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Sphex tomentosus''
Fabricius, 1787
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Sphex torridus''
F. Smith, 1873
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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 ...
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F. Smith, 1856
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Sphex walshae
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 ...
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Hensen, 1991
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Sphex wilsoni
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 ...
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Hensen, 1991
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Sphex zubaidiyacus''
Augul, 2013
Fossil Species
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Sphex bischoffi''
Zeuner, 1931
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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 ...
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Heer, 1867
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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