Philanthidae is one of the largest families of wasp in the superfamily Apoidea, with 1167 species in 8 genera, most of which are Cerceris.[1][2][3]

Philanthidae
Cerceris
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Superfamily: Apoidea
Family: Philanthidae
Tribes and genera

Aphilanthopini:

Cercerini:

Philanthini:

Pseudoscoliini:

Taxonomy and phylogeny

edit

Historically, this group has frequently been accorded family status.[4] Later interpretations include status as a subfamily of a broadly-defined Sphecidae[1] or Crabronidae. Subsequent revision of the superfamily Apoidea has elevated the group back to family status.[5]

Behavior

edit

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.[citation needed]

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.[6]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Pulawski, Wojciech J. (2024). "Catalog of Genera and Species". California Academy of Sciences Institute of Biodiversity. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
edit