• Source: Ammophila (wasp)

Ammophila is the type genus of the subfamily Ammophilinae of the hunting wasp family Sphecidae. Ammophila is a large and cosmopolitan genus, with over 200 species, mostly occurring in the warmer regions of all continents apart from Antarctica.




Vernacular names



Ammophila species are sometimes referred to as "thread-waisted wasps", but the name is not definitive, because many other members of the family Sphecidae are thread-waisted and referred to as such. Sometimes Ammophiline wasps are referred to as "sand wasps"; this is consistent with the name Ammophila, which derives from the Greek for "sand lover" (many species dig their nests in sand). However, this common name is used primarily for wasps in the family Crabronidae, in the tribe Bembicini. As is frequent in dealing with common names, no definitive common name for the Ammophilinae exists; entomologists usually confine themselves to the technical names for convenience and clarity.




Morphology and habits


As is frequent in large genera, considerable variation occurs in their habits and appearance, but predominantly they are medium-sized wasps of strikingly slender build, with antennae about as long as the head plus thorax.
The jaws are not large, but are strong and apart from feeding and digging, often are used for unexpected functions such as holding a pebble with which the wasp hammers down soil to seal a nest, or to grip the stem of a plant at night, holding its body at right-angles to the stem, its legs folded and all the weight taken up by the mandibles. This habit is not unique to the Ammophilinae – some bees, such as Amegilla, also overnight in that way, and Fabre documented some others.




Nesting


Nesting is generally by digging an unbranched tunnel in sandy soil, but provisioning can be progressive, the mother bringing prey as the larva requires it, or mass provisioning, where each nest is provided with a single large prey item, or as many small prey items as should be required.




Species



The genus Ammophila was created by the English parson-naturalist William Kirby in 1798. It contains 243 extant species:




References






External links


Media related to Ammophila at Wikimedia Commons

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Ammophila (wasp)
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• Ammophila sabulosa
• Wasp
• Ammophila pictipennis
• Ammophila procera
• Ammophila femurrubra
• Ammophila ferruginosa
• Ammophila urnaria
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