Provisional Check list of Specidae
(Digger Wasps)
of Brackenridge Field Laboratory

Compiled by: A.W. Hook
Biology Dept., St. Edward's University
Revised 2/30/2000

Determinations by:

An adaptive radiation also has taken place in nest architecture. Subterranean nests occur in all types of soil, from dunes to clay-pans, and generally in areas mostly bare of vegetation. Some aerial nests are composed of mud or plant fibers, but most are modified preexisting cavities (of all sorts), or more often beetle borings in wood. A number of species nest in pithy stems of shrubs, or decayed wood. Mud or plant fibers and resins are used to construct cell partitions in such aerial nests.

The vast majority of sphecids are strictly solitary, although nest-sharing is commonly observed in a number of subfamilies, in particular, the Pemphredoninae and Philanthinae. Sociality takes on many forms, ranging from communal to eusocial in kind. Some sphecids are cleptoparasitic on other sphecids, while others exhibit a more parasitoid-like lifestyle.

Adults obtain nourishment from a variety of sources, such as, nectar from flowers and extrafloral nectaries, honeydew and body fluids of their prey. In some species males guard nests and may actually assist the female in nesting activities- usually within the confines of the nest. Others apply pheromones to objects in territories they defend in or away from nesting sites. Many patrol emergence areas and/or nectar sources.

Nearly 8,000 species have been described, of which over 1,000 are found in America north of Mexico. Sphecids range in size from 2 to 50mm in length, and exhibit tremendous morphological diversity. Digger wasps have captured the interest of many a noteworthy biologist including, Jean Henri Fabre, Niko Tinbergen , Howard E. Evans and John Alcock to name but a few. Given the diversity of forms and ecologies within the Sphecidae, they are excellent subjects for evolutionary studies.

Of the 163 species representing 58 genera that are listed below, 152 species were recorded from BFL, another 9 from Austin and finally 2 were taken from Gill Ranch (located about 20 miles southwest of Austin). Included in this list are 23 new species records for the state of Texas, and a 24th species that represents the second specimen recorded from this state. This list, although extensive, is not all inclusive of the fauna that can and does occur at BFL, indeed, only a few groups have been extensively collected. The classification used below follows for the most part, that of Bohart and Menke (Sphecid Wasps of the World, 1976) although Krombein et al., (Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico) was also used to help establish state records.

• Ampulicinae

• 1. Ampulex ferruginea

• Sphecinae

• 1. Ammophila picipes Cameron

• 2. Ammophila pictipennis Walsh

• 3. Ammophila procera Dahlbom

• 4. Chalybion californicum (Saussure)

• 5a. Chalybion z. peninsularum Bohart & Menke

• 5b. Chalybion z. zimmermanni Dahlbom

• 6. Chlorion aerarium Patton

• 7. Chlorion cyaneum Dahlbom

• 8. Eremnophila aureonotata (Cameron)

• 9. Isodontia apicalis (Smith)

• 10. Isodontia auripes (Fernald)

• 11. Isodontia mexicanus (Saussure)

• 12. Isodontia philadelphica (Lept.)

• 13. Podalonia sp. Austin

• 14. Podium luctuosum Smith

• 15. Podium rufipes fabricius

• 16. Prionyx atratus (Lepeletier)

• 17. Prionyx packeri Bohart & Menke

• 18. Sceliphron caementarium (Drury)

• 19. Sphex ashmeadi (Fernald)

• 20. Sphex habenus Say

• 21. Sphex ichneumoneus (L.)

• 22. Sphex lucae Saussure

• 23. Sphex pensylvanicus L.

• 24. Sphex texanus Cresson

• Pemphredoninae

• 1. Diodontus boharti Eighme

• 2. Diodontus flavitarus Fox

• 3. Passaloecus annulatus (Say)

• 4. Passaloecus gallicola Vincent

• 5. Pemphredon (Cemonus) bipartior Fox

• 6. Pemphredon lethifer (Shuckard)

• 7. Pemphredon rugifer (Dahlbom)

• 8. Pluto aerofacies (Malloch)

• 9. Pluto basifuscus van Lith

• 10. Pluto sayi (Rohwer)

• 11. Pluto spangleri van Lith

• 12. Pluto suffusus (Fox)

• 13. Pluto tibialis (Cresson)

• 14. Pseneo carolina (Rohwer)

• 15. Stigmus americanus Packard

• 16. Stigmus inordinatus universitatis Rohwer

• 17. Stigmus podagricus podagricus kohl

• Astatinae

• 1. Astata bicolor Say

• 2. Astata clypeata Parker

• 3. Astata mexicana

• 4. Astata unicolor Say

• Larrinae

• 1. Larra analis Fabricius

• 2. Liris argentatus (P. de B.)

• 3. Liris beatus (Cameron)

• 4. Liris partitus Krombein & Gingras

• 5. Lyroda subita (Say)

• 6. Miscophus sp.

• 7. Pison agile (Smith)

• 8. Pisonopsis birkmannii Rohwer

• 9. Solierella cingulis Bohart

• 10. Solierella hooki R. Bohart

• 11. Solierella inermis (Cresson)

• 12. Tachysphex antennatus W. Fox

• 13. Tachysphex apicalis W. Fox

• 14. Tachysphex crassiformis Viereck

• 15. Tachysphex glabrior Williams

• 16. Tachysphex krombeiniellus Pulawski

• 17. Tachysphex ?maurus Rohwer

• 18. Tachysphex mundus mundus W. Fox

• 19. Tachysphex scopaeus Pulawski

• 20. Tachysphex tarsatus (Say)

• 21. Tachysphex texanus (Cresson)

• 22. Tachytes abdominalis (Say)

• 23. Tachytes auricomas Bradley

• 24. Tachytes aurulentus (F.)

• 25. Tachytes chrysopyga obscurus Cresson

• 26. Tachytes cressoni Banks

• 27. Tachytes distinctus F. Smith

• 28. Tachytes guatemalensis Cameron

• 29. Tachytes intermedius (Viereck)

• 30. Tachytes pennsylvanicus Banks

• 31. Tachytes pepticus (Say)

• 32. Trypargilum clavatum Say

• 33. Trypargilum politum (Say)

• 34. Trypargilum spinosum (Cameron)

• 35. Trypargilum texense (Saussure)

• 36. Trypoxylon bidentatum Fox

• 37. Trypoxylon carinatum Say

• 38. Trypoxylon punctivertex Richards

• 39. Trypoxylon regulare Viereck

• 40. Trypoxylon richardsi Sandhouse

• Crabroninae

• 1. Anacrabro o. ocellatus Packard

• 2. Crabro advena Smith

• 3. Crabro cingulatus (Packard)

• 4. Crabro tumidus (Packard)

• 5. Crossocerus imppressifrons (Smith)

• 6. Crossocerus minimus (Packard)

• 7. Crossocerus similis (Fox)

• 8. Crossocerus tarsatus (Shuckard)
  = planipes (Fox)

• 9. Ectemnius centralis (Cameron)

• 10. Ectemnius decemmaculatus (Say)

• 11. Ectemnius excavatus (W. Fox)

• 12. Ectemnius scaber (Lepeletier & Brulle)

• 13. Ectemnius sonorensis (Cameron)

• 14. Ectemnius sp. 6

• 15. Enchemicrum australe Pate

• 16. Enoplolindenius robertsoni (Rohwer)

• 17. Lestica confluenta (Say)

• 18. Lestica producticollis (Packard)

• 19. Lindenius armaticeps (Fox)

• 20. Moniaecera abdominalis (Fox)

• 21. Oxybelus emarginatus Say

• 22. Oxybelus packardii Robertson

• 23. Oxybelus parvus Cresson

• 24. Oxybelus subcornutus Cockerell

• 25. Rhopalum atlanticum R. Bohart

• 26. Rhopalum rufigaster Packard

• Bembecinae

• 1. Alysson melleus Say

• 2. Argogorytes nigrifrons (F. Smith)

• 3. Bembecinus quinquesspinosus (Say)

• 4. Bicyrtes capnoptera (Handl.)

• 5. Bicyrtes fodiens (Handl.)

• 6. Bicyrtes quadrifasciata (Say)

• 7. Bicyrtes ventralis (Say)

• 8. Epinysson mellipes (Cresson)

• 9. Glenostictia pictifrons Smith

• 10. Gorytes atricornis Packard

• 11. Gorytes deceptor Krombein

• 12. Hoplisoides nebulosus (Packard)

• 13. Hoplisoides spilopterus (Handl.)

• 14. Nysson subtilis Fox

• 15. Nysson trichrus (Mickel)

• 16. Ochleroptera bipunctata (Say)

• 17. Pseudoplisus divisus Smith

• 18. Pseudoplisus smithii Cresson

• 19. Pseudoplisus phaleratus (Say)

• 20. Psammaletes mexicanus (Cameron)

• 21. Sphecius speciosus (Drury)

• 22. Stictia carolina (Fabricius)

• 23. Tanyoprymnus moneduloides (Packard)

• 24. Synnevrus aequalis (Patton)

• 25. Synnevrus plagiatus (Cresson)

• 26. Zanysson texanus (Cresson)

• Philanthinae

• 1. Cerceris astarte Banks

• 2. Cerceris atramontensis Banks

• 3. Cerceris bicornuta Guerin

• 4. Cerceris californica Cresson

• 5. Cerceris compacta Cresson

• 6. Cerceris cruis Viereck & Cockerell

• 7. Cerceris echo Mickel

• 8. Cerceris finitima Cresson

• 9. Cerceris fumipennis Say

• 10. Cerceris gnarina Banks

• 11. Cerceris halone Banks

• 12. Cerceris insolita Cresson

• 13. Cerceris jucunda Cresson

• 14. Cerceris kennicottii Cresson

• 15. Cerceris parkeri Scullen

• 16. Cerceris queretaro Scullen

• 17. Cerceris rohweri Ferguson

• 18. Cerceris rufopicta F. Smith

• 19. Cerceris tepaneca Saussure

• 20. Cerceris texana Scullen

• 21. Cerceris tolteca Saussure

• 22. Cerceris truncata Cameron

• 23. Cerceris verticalis F. Smith

• 24. Philanthus gibbosus (Fabricius)

• 25. Philanthus ventrilabris (Fabricius)

Bohart, R.M. 1980. A review of the North American species of Dienoplus. Pan-Pac. Ent. 56:63-70.

Bohart, R.M. 1983. New species of Glenostictia. Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. 85:485-492.

Bohart, R.M. and A.S. Menke. 1976. Sphecid Wasps of the World. A Generic Revision. Univ. Calif. Press, Berkeley, 695 pp.

Bohart, R.M. and L.S. Kimsey. 1979. A key to the species of Ectemnius in America north of Mexico with notes and descriptions of a new species. Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. 81:486-498.

Bohart, R.M. and J.E. Gillaspy. 1985. California sand wasps of the subtribe Stictiellina. Bull. Calif. Ins. Survey. 27:1-89.

Coville, R.E. 1982. Wasps of the genus Trypoxylon Subgenus Trypargilum in North America. Univ. Calif. Press. Vol. 97, 147pp.

Ferguson, G.R. 1984. Revision of the Philanthus zebratus group. J. N.Y. Ent. Soc. 91:289-303.

Ferguson, G.R. 1984. An annotated synonymic list of North American and Caribbean wasps of the genus Cerceris. J. N.Y. Ent. Soc. 91:466-502.

Finnamore, A.T. 1980. New species of Mimesa from North America. Can. Ent. 112:293-300.

Kirkbride, D.M. 1982. A new species of Ammophila from North America. Pan-Pac. Ent. 57:457-460.

Krombein, K.V., P.D. Hurd, D.R. Smith and B.D. Burks. 1979. Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico. Smith. Inst. Press, Washington, D.C.

Porter, C.C. 1980. Bicyrtes Lepeletier in the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Northeast Mexico. Fla. Ent. 63:281-285.

Pulawski, W.J. 1982. New species of North American Tachysphex wasps. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 43:27-42.

Pulawski, W.J. 1984. The Status of Trypoxylon figulus (L., 1758), medium De Beaumont, 1945. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 43:123-140.