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
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''), though most apart from the Sphecinae have now been moved to the family
Crabronidae.
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 by
wasp toxins. The wasps lay their eggs in the provisioned nest and the wasp
larvae feed on the paralyzed insects as they develop.
The great golden digger wasp (''
Sphex ichneumoneus'') 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 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.
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 later studied female rivalry over nesting holes in ''Sphex ichneumoneus''.
Use in philosophy
Some writers in the
philosophy of mind, 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.
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 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'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
The genus ''Sphex'' contains 132 extant species:
*''
Sphex abyssinicus''
(Arnold, 1928)
*''
Sphex afer''
Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1845
*''
Sphex ahasverus''
Kohl, 1890
*''
Sphex alacer''
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
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 ...
''
Fabricius, 1787
*''
Sphex argentinus
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 ...
''
Taschenberg, 1869
*''
Sphex ashmeadi''
(Fernald, 1906)
*''
Sphex atropilosus''
Kohl, 1885
*''
Sphex basilicus
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, 1915)
*''
Sphex bilobatus
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, 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''
Saussure, 1867
*''
Sphex brevipetiolatus
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 ...
''
Dörfel and Ohl, 2015
*''
Sphex caelebs''
Dörfel and Ohl, 2015
*''
Sphex caeruleanus''
Drury, 1773
*''
Sphex caliginosus''
Erichson, 1849
*''
Sphex camposi
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 ...
''
Campos, 1922
*''
Sphex carbonicolor''
Van der Vecht, 1973
*''
Sphex castaneipes''
Dahlbom, 1843
*''
Sphex cognatus''
F. Smith, 1856
*''
Sphex confrater''
Kohl, 1890
*''
Sphex corporosus''
Dörfel and Ohl, 2015
*''
Sphex cristi
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 ...
''
Genaro ''in'' Genaro & Juarrero, 2000
*''
Sphex cubensis''
(Fernald, 1906)
*''
Sphex darwinensis''
R. Turner, 1912
*''
Sphex decipiens''
Kohl, 1895
*''
Sphex decoratus''
F. Smith, 1873
*''
Sphex deplanatus''
Kohl, 1895
*''
Sphex diabolicus
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 ...
''
F. Smith, 1858
*''
Sphex dorsalis
''Sphex dorsalis'' 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 Sphec ...
''
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
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 ermineus''
Kohl, 1890
*''
Sphex erythrinus
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 ...
''
(Guiglia, 1939)
*''
Sphex ferrugineipes
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 ...
''
W. Fox, 1897
*''
Sphex finschii
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 flammeus''
Dörfel and Ohl, 2015
*''
Sphex flavipennis''
Fabricius, 1793
*''
Sphex flavovestitus''
F. Smith, 1856
*''
Sphex formosellus
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, 1957
*''
Sphex fortunatus
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 ...
''
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 th ...
''
F. Smith, 1856
*''
Sphex funerarius''
Gussakovskij, 1934 – Golden Digger Wasp
*''
Sphex gaullei''
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''
Dörfel and Ohl, 2015
*''
Sphex gisteli
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 th ...
''
Strand, 1916
*''
Sphex guatemalensis
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, 1888
*''
Sphex habenus
''Sphex habenus'' 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 Spheci ...
''
Say, 1832
*''
Sphex haemorrhoidalis
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 ...
''
Fabricius, 1781
*''
Sphex ichneumoneus''
( Linnaeus, 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''
Gerstaecker, 1871
*''
Sphex ingens''
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''
Cameron, 1910
*''
Sphex jucundus''
Dörfel and Ohl, 2015
*''
Sphex kolthoffi''
Gussakovskij, 1938
*''
Sphex lanatus''
Mocsáry, 1883
*''
Sphex latilobus''
Dörfel and Ohl, 2015
*''
Sphex latreillei''
Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1831
*''
Sphex latro
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 ...
''
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
''Sphex lucae'' 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 Sphecida ...
''
Saussure, 1867
*''
Sphex luctuosus
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 th ...
''
F. Smith, 1856
*''
Sphex madasummae
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 ...
''
Van der Vecht, 1973
*''
Sphex malagassus''
Saussure, 1890
*''
Sphex mandibularis''
Cresson, 1869
*''
Sphex maroccanus''
Schmid-Egger, 2019
*''
Sphex maximiliani
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 ...
''
Kohl, 1890
*''
Sphex melanocnemis''
Kohl, 1885
*''
Sphex melanopus
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 melas''
Gussakovskij, 1930
*''
Sphex mendozanus''
Brèthes, 1909
*''
Sphex mimulus''
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
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 muticus
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 ...
''
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
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 ...
''
Jha & Farooqui, 1996
*''
Sphex nigrohirtus''
Kohl, 1895
*''
Sphex nitidiventris
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 ...
''
Spinola, 1851
*''
Sphex nudus''
Fernald, 1903 – Katydid Wasp
*''
Sphex observabilis
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 th ...
''
(R. Turner, 1918)
*''
Sphex opacus
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 ...
''
Dahlbom, 1845
*''
Sphex optimus''
F. Smith, 1856
*''
Sphex oxianus
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 ...
''
Gussakovskij, 1928
*''
Sphex paulinierii
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 ...
''
Guérin-Méneville, 1843
*''
Sphex pensylvanicus''
Linnaeus, 1763 – great black wasp
*''
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 ...
''
(Willink, 1951)
*''
Sphex peruanus
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 ...
''
Kohl, 1890
*''
Sphex praedator
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, 1858
*''
Sphex pretiosus
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 ...
''
Dörfel and Ohl, 2015
*''
Sphex prosper''
Kohl, 1890
*''
Sphex pruinosus''
Germar, 1817
*''
Sphex resinipes
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 ...
''
(Fernald, 1906)
*''
Sphex resplendens
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 rex''
Hensen, 1991
*''
Sphex rhodosoma''
(R. Turner, 1915)
*''
Sphex rufinervis''
Pérez, 1985
*''
Sphex rufiscutis''
(R. Turner, 1918)
*''
Sphex rugifer''
Kohl, 1890
*''
Sphex satanas''
Kohl, 1898
*''
Sphex schlaeflei''
Schmid-Egger, 2019
*''
Sphex schoutedeni
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 ...
''
Kohl, 1913
*''
Sphex schrottkyi''
(Bertoni, 1918)
*''
Sphex semifossulatus''
Van der Vecht, 1973
*''
Sphex sericeus
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, 1804)
*''
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 ...
''
Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1845
*''
Sphex solomon
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 ...
''
Hensen, 1991
*''
Sphex stadelmanni
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 ...
''
Kohl, 1895
*''
Sphex staudingeri''
Gribodo, 1894
*''
Sphex subhyalinus
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 ...
''
W. Fox, 1899
*''
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 ...
''
Dahlbom, 1843
*''
Sphex tanoi
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 ...
''
Tsuneki, 1974
*''
Sphex taschenbergi''
Magretti, 1884
*''
Sphex tepanecus''
Saussure, 1867
*''
Sphex texanus''
Cresson, 1873
*''
Sphex tinctipennis''
Cameron, 1888
*''
Sphex tomentosus''
Fabricius, 1787
*''
Sphex torridus''
F. Smith, 1873
*''
Sphex vestitus''
F. Smith, 1856
*''
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 ...
''
Hensen, 1991
*''
Sphex wilsoni''
Hensen, 1991
*''
Sphex zubaidiyacus''
Augul, 2013
Fossil Species
*†''
Sphex bischoffi
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 ...
''
Zeuner, 1931
*†''
Sphex giganteus''
Heer, 1867
*†''
Sphex obscurus
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 ...
''
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