»RJ.»HWUt iiMHr » Lii.' United States National Museum Bulletin 209 Nearctic Wasps of the Subfamilies Pepsinae and Ceropalinae By HENRY TOWNES SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION • WASHINGTON, D. C. • 1957 Nearctic Wasps of the Subfamilies Pepsinae and Ceropalinae Introduction The family Psammocharidae includes a large number of common wasps that provision their nests with spiders. Typical psammochar- ids are long-legged insects commonly seen on flowers or running rap- idly over the ground or low vegetation, often nervously flipping their wings. A large portion of the Nearctic species are black with black wings, though various members of the family are marked or colored with red, orange, yellow, white, or metallic blue. Technically, the psammocharids may be distinguished from all other wasps by a straight transverse groove that divides the mesopleuron into upper and lower halves (figure 1,6). This groove is always present, and though other wasps possess grooves on the mesopleuron, none but the psammo- charids have one that is single, straight, and transverse. The species included in the present paper are those belonging to the subfamilies Pepsinae and Ceropalinae, occurring in America north of Mexico. Previous taxonomic work on these species, except for two papers on Pepsis by Hurd, is not outstanding and consists largely of the descrip- tion of new species. References to all the original descriptions are given in the species headings, the significant papers dealing with biology are cited in the synonymy of the species concerned, and the few revisional papers may be located by referring to a recent cata- logue (Townes and Hm'd, 1951, U. S. Dep. Agr., Agr. Monogr. No. 2, pp. 907-973). In addition to this Uterature are numerous locaUty records (largely in state lists), some notes on synonymy and taxon- omj^ and the well known lectotype lists by Cresson (t>T)es in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia) and by Rohwer and Gahan (Provancher types). The specimens which form the bases for most of this literature have been restudied and re-recorded accord- ing to the taxonomy in this paper. No attempt has been made to correct the many errors of identification that occur in literature, but if a record in literature is not repeated in the summary of the distribu- tional and biological data from pin labels on the specimens studied, 1 Publications of the U. S. National Museum The scientific publications of the National Museum include two series known, respectively, as Proceedings and Bulletin. The Proceedings series, begun in 1878, is intended primarily as a medium for the publication of original papers based on the collections of the National Museum, that set forth newly acquired facts in biology, anthropology, and geology, with descriptions of new forms and re- visions of limited groups. Copies of each paper, in pamphlet form, are distributed as published to libraries and scientific organizations and to specialists and others interested in the different subjects. The dates at which these separate papers are published are recorded in the table of contents of each of the volumes. The series of Bulletins, the first of which was issued in 1875, contains separate publications comprising monographs of large zoological groups and other general systematic treatises (occasionally in several volumes), faunal works, reports of expeditions, catalogs of tj^pe speci- mens, special collections, and other material of similar nature. The majority of the volumes are octavo in size, but a quarto size has been adopted in a few instances. In the Bulletin series appear volumes under the heading Contributions from the United States National Flerbarium, in octavo form, published by the National Musemn since 1902, which contain papers relating to the botanical collections of the Museum. The present work forms No. 209 of the Bulletin series. Remington Kellogg, Director, United States National Museum. UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1957 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing OflSce Washington 25, D. 0. - Price $1.50 (paper cover) Contents Page Introduction 1 Subfamily Pepsinae 8 Tribe Pepsini 9 Genus Chirodamus Haliday 11 Genus Pepsis Fabricius 25 Genus Hemipepsis Dahlbom 32 Genus Priocnessus Banks 40 Genus Priocnemioides Radoszkowski 49 Genus Cryptocheilus Panzer 67 Genus Priocnemis Schi^dte 80 ^nhgenns Sphictostethus Kohl 81 Subgenus Clistoderes Banks 83 Subgenus Priocnemissus Haupt 83 Subgenus Priocnemis Schi0dte 89 Genus Calicurgus Lepeletier 108 Genus Dipogon Fox 115 Subgenus Deuteragenia Sustera 116 Subgenus Dipogon Fox 131 Tribe Macromerini 140 Genus Phanagenia Banks 141 Genus Auplopus Spinola 143 Genus Ageniella Banks 167 Subgenus Leucophrus Townes 168 Subgenus Nemagenia Banks 174 Subgenus Priophanes Banks 176 Subgenus Ageniella Banks 189 Subgenus Ameragenia Banks 215 Genus Priocnemella Banks 219 Subfamily Ceropalinae 220 Tribe Notocyphini 221 Genus Notocyphus Smith 222 Tribe Minageniini 225 Genus Minagenia Banks . 226 Tribe Ceropalini 237 Genus Ceropales Latreille 238 Index 273 ni Nearctic Wasps of the Subfamilies Pepsinae and Ceropalinae Introduction The family Psammocharidae includes a large number of common wasps that provision their nests with spiders. T3T)ical psammochar- ids are long-legged insects commonly seen on flowers or running rap- idly over the ground or low vegetation, often nervously flipping their wings. A large portion of the Nearctic species are black with black wings, though various members of the family are marked or colored with red, orange, yellow, white, or metallic blue. Technically, the psanmiocharids may be distinguished from all other wasps by a straight transverse groove that divides the mesopleuron into upper and lower halves (figure 1,6). This groove is always present, and though other wasps possess grooves on the mesopleuron, none but the psammo- charids have one that is single, straight, and transverse. The species included in the present paper are those belonging to the subfamilies Pepsinae and Ceropalinae, occurring in America north of Mexico. Previous taxonomic work on these species, except for two papers on Pepsis by Hurd, is not outstandmg and consists largely of the descrip- tion of new species. References to all the original descriptions are given in the species headings, the significant papers dealing with biology are cited in the synonymy of the species concerned, and the few revisional papers may be located by referring to a recent cata- logue (Townes and Hurd, 1951, U. S. Dep. Agr., Agr. Monogr. No. 2, pp. 907-973). In addition to this Hterature are numerous locahty records (largely in state Hsts), some notes on synonymy and taxon- omy, and the well known lectotype lists by Cresson (types in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia) and by Rohwer and Gahan (Provancher types). The specimens which form the bases for most of this literature have been restudied and re-recorded accord- ing to the taxonomy in this paper. No attempt has been made to correct the manj^ errors of identification that occur in literature, but if a record in literature is not repeated in the summary of the distribu- tional and biological data from pin labels on the specimens studied, 1 2 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 209 it may be regarded as incorrect or unverified as far as my own re- searches are concerned. Between August 1952 and February 1954, while this paper was awaiting pubhcation, K. V. Krombein has published five papers con- taining brief but interesting habitat notes on a number of pepsines. Most of his specimens have been studied and included in my distri- butional data, but his habitat notes are more exact and detailed than I have listed them. They can be consulted on the following pages: 1952, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, vol. 78, pp. 91-92; 1952, Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, vol. 54, pp. 176-177; 1953, Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash- ington, vol. 55, p. 180; 1954, Bull. Brooklyn Ent. Soc, vol. 49, pp. 3-4; and 1954, Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, vol. 56, p. 230. This paper completes a taxonomic revision of the Nearctic Psammo- charidae, other sections of the family having been treated as follows: Aporini by Bradley, 1944, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, vol. 70, pp. 23-157. Psammocharini by Evans, 1950 and 1951, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, vol. 75, pp. 133-270; vol. 76, pp. 207-361; and vol. 77, pp. 203-340. Pejpsis by Hurd, 1952, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. vol. 98, pp. 261- 334. The family name Pompilidae, rather than Psammocharidae is a name sometimes used for this family, but it may not be so used correctly. The generic name Pompilus Fabricius 1898, type of the family name Pompilidae, has Pompilus viaticus Fabricius as its genotype. Pompilus viaticus is a spe- cies of Sphecidae, because of which the generic name Pompilus may be used correctly only in the Sphecidae. In regard to the name Psam- mocharidae, its type genus is Psammochares Latreille, 1896, with the genotype Sphex fusca Linnaeus. Fusca is a species of the subfamily Psammocharinae in the present family. The generic name Psammo- chares is the oldest name in the family and as such may be used as the type of the family name. Pate (1946, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, vol. 72, pp. 123-128) has discussed this nomenclatorial situation in detail. Older authors have used the name Pompilidae for the family without considering its validity, but in 1910 Banks introduced usage of the correct name, Psammocharidae, which steadily gained favor until by a generation later the majority of the basic literature of the world used this name. Certain workers who wished to continue using the name Pompilidae, however, appealed to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature for an arbitrary declaration that Psam- mocharidae was incorrect and Pompilidae was correct. The Inter- national Commission obliged b}^ issuing in 1945 its Opinion No. 166, throwing its influence behind the usage of the name Pompilidae and against the name Psamm.ocharidae.