| Philanthidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cerceris | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Superfamily: | Apoidea |
| Family: | Philanthidae |
| Tribes and genera | |
|
Aphilanthopini: Cercerini: Philanthini: Pseudoscoliini: | |
Philanthidae is one of the largest families of wasp in the superfamily Apoidea, with 1167 species in 8 genera, most of which are Cerceris.
Taxonomy and phylogeny
Historically, this group has frequently been accorded family status. Later interpretations include status as a subfamily of a broadly-defined Sphecidae or Crabronidae. Subsequent revision of the superfamily Apoidea has elevated the group back to family status.
Behavior
The family consists of solitary, predatory wasps, each genus having its own distinct and consistent prey preferences. The adult females dig tunnels in the ground for nesting.
As with all other apoid wasps, the larvae are carnivorous; females hunt for prey on which to lays their eggs, mass provisioning the nest cells with paralyzed, living prey that the larva feeds upon after it hatches from the egg, as seen in the species Philanthus gibbosus.
References
- ^ Alexander, B.A. (1992). "A cladistic analysis of the subfamily Philanthinae (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)". Systematic Entomology. 17 (2): 91–108. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.1992.tb00324.x.
- Bohart, Richard Mitchell; Menke, Arnold S. (1976). Sphecid Wasps of the World: A Generic Revision. University of California Press. p. 555. ISBN 978-0-520-02318-5.
- Pulawski, Wojciech J. (2024). "Catalog of Genera and Species". California Academy of Sciences Institute of Biodiversity. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- Cresson, Ezra Townsend (1865). "Monograph of the Philanthidae of North America". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia. 5: 84–132. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- Sann, Manuela; Niehuis, Oliver; Peters, Ralph S.; Mayer, Christoph; Kozlov, Alexey; Podsiadlowski, Lars; Bank, Sarah; Meusemann, Karen; Misof, Bernhard; Bleidorn, Christoph; Ohl, Michael (2018). "Phylogenomic analysis of Apoidea sheds new light on the sister group of bees". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 18 (71). doi:10.1186/s12862-018-1155-8. PMC 5960199.
- Colman, D.R.; Toolson, E.C.; Takacs-Vesbach, C.D. (2012). "Do diet and taxonomy influence insect gut bacterial communities?". Molecular Ecology. 21 (20): 5124–5137. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2012.05752.x. ISSN 1365-294X. PMID 22978555.
External links
- BWARS: Philanthinae (photographs of each species)