Sceliphron

Taxobox
name = "Sceliphron"


image_width = 300px
image_caption = "Sceliphron curvatum"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Hymenoptera
superfamilia = Apoidea
familia = Sphecidae
subfamilia = Sceliphrinae
genus = "Sceliphron"
genus_authority =
subdivision_ranks = Diversity
subdivision =About 30 species

"Sceliphron" is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family, commonly referred to as mud daubers. They are solitary and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, often just inside of windows or vent openings, and it may take a female only a day to construct a cell requiring dozens of trips carrying mud. Females will add new cells one by one to the nest after each cell is provisioned. They provision these nests with spiders, such as crab spiders, orb-weaver spiders and jumping spiders in particular, as food for the developing larvae. Each mud cell contains one egg and is provided with several prey items. Females of some species lay a modest average of 15 eggs over their whole lifespan [http://crawford.tardigrade.net/bugs/BugofMonth22.html] . Various parasites attack these nests, including several species of cuckoo wasps, primarily by sneaking into the nest while the resident mud dauber is out foraging.

As is the case with many insect genera, there are many tropical species. Some common temperate species include the black and yellow mud dauber ("Sceliphron caementarium") and "Sceliphron curvatum".

Like other solitary wasps, "Sceliphron" species are not aggressive and do not sting unless mishandled. They are sometimes regarded as beneficial due to their control of spider populations, though the spiders themselves may be beneficial in controlling pest insects. Species such as "Sceliphron curvatum" are invasive in some parts of Europe, where they have been observed to rapidly increase their range in recent years [http://web.natur.cuni.cz/filosof/bogusch/sceliphron.htm] .

celiphron species

"Sceliphron" Klug 1801

* "Sceliphron spirifex" Linnaeus 1758 (Sphex); Africa, southern Europe

* "Sceliphron asiaticum" Linnaeus 1758 (Sphex); Neotropics::Type locality "In Indiis" was interpreted as India; syn. "S. figulum"

* "Sceliphron caementarium" Drury 1773 (Sphex)::North America, established in Europe and Pacific islands by the 1970's

* "Sceliphron jamaicense" Fabricius 1775; Mexico, Caribbean islands

* "Sceliphron madraspatanum" Fabricius 1781; Mediterranean

* "Sceliphron (m.) tubifex" Latreille 1809; Mediterranean

* "Sceliphron destillatorium" Illiger 1807; southern Palaearctic

* "Sceliphron assimile" Dahlbom 1843 (Pelopoeus); Texas, Mexico and Caribbean islands

* "Sceliphron fistularium" Dahlbom 1843; Neotropics

* "Sceliphron javanum" Lepeletier 1845

* "Sceliphron coromandelicum" Lepeletier 1845

* "Sceliphron chilensis" Spinola 1851

* "Sceliphron laetum" Smith 1856; Australia

* "Sceliphron formosum" Smith 1856; Australia

* "Sceliphron deforme" Smith 1856; Asia, reported from Europe in 2004

* "Sceliphron benignum" Smith 1859

* "Sceliphron curvatum" Smith 1870; Asia, Europe since 1970’s

* "Sceliphron quartinae" Gribodo 1884

* "Sceliphron imflexum" Sickmann 1894

* "Sceliphron nalandicum" Strand 1915

* "Sceliphron argentifrons" Cresson 1916

* "Sceliphron bugabense" Dalla Torre 1897

* "Sceliphron cyclocephalum" Dalla Torre 1897

* "Sceliphron intermedium" Dalla Torre 1897

* "Sceliphron rufiventre" Dalla Torre 1897

* "Sceliphron abdominale" Dalla Torre 1897

* "Sceliphron soror" Dalla Torre 1897

* "Sceliphron caucasicum" Dalla Torre 1897

External references

* [http://www.ento.csiro.au/Ecowatch/Primary/hymenoptera/pages/mud_wasp.htm Short discussion on genus "Sceliphron".]
* [http://www.geocities.com/brisbane_wasps/Palmdart.htm Discussion on an Australian species, "Sceliphron formosum"]
* [http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/sphecidwasps/Sceliphron.html Discussion on an American species, "Sceliphron caementarium"]
* [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1111/j.1479-8298.2004.00067.x/abs/ Invasive Asian species in Europe]

References

* Observations on the biology of "Sceliphron spirifex" (Linnaeus, 1758) in Romagna, Pezzi G.
* Further evidence of the Asian mud-daubing wasps in Europe, Ćetković A. et al, Entomological Science, September 2004

ee also

Mud dauber

Gallery

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