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Wasps of Zihuatanejo

ORDER HYMENOPTERA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies (Order Hymenoptera)​

-​Narrow-waisted Wasps, Ants, and Bees (Suborder Apocrita)

-Ants, Bees, and Stinging Wasps (Infraorder Aculeata)

-Bees and Apoid Wasps (Superfamily Apoidea)

-Thread-waisted Wasps (Family Sphecidae)

-Subfamily Ammophilinae

-Tribe Ammophilini


Ammophilini is a tribe of the hunting wasp family Sphecidae. Adults visit flowers. Larva feed on caterpillars and sawfly larvae provisioned by the female.

Ammophilini Thread-waisted Sand Wasps

Ammophilini (Genus)

Description

• Ammophilini is a tribe of solitary thread-waisted wasps in the family Sphecidae. Members typically have slender bodies, narrow elongated waists, long legs, and often reddish, black, or metallic markings. Females hunt and paralyse caterpillars or other insects to provide food for their developing larvae.

Range

• Members of Ammophilini occur across many regions of the world, particularly in warm and temperate environments. It is native to Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, and the surrounding area.

Habitat

• These wasps are commonly found in sunny, open habitats such as sandy beaches, dry scrub, grasslands, forest edges, and other sparsely vegetated areas. Females generally excavate nests in the soil, often in sandy or loose ground.

Diet

• Adults feed mainly on nectar and other sugary plant secretions. Females provision their nests with paralysed insect prey, especially caterpillars, which serve as food for their larvae.

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