Potter wasp 3615390 203374916 2008-04-04T21:03:24Z Jonathan Cardy 4071608 contruct construct {{Taxobox | name = Potter wasps | image = Eumenide.jpg | image_size = 250px | image_caption = ''[[Ancistrocerus]]'' sp. | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Arthropod]]a | classis = [[Insect]]a | ordo = [[Hymenoptera]] | subordo = [[Apocrita]] | superfamilia = [[Vespoidea]] | familia = [[Vespidae]] | subfamilia = '''Eumeninae''' | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = More than 200 ([[Potter wasp genera|see article]]) }} '''Potter wasps''' (or '''mason wasps''') are a cosmopolitan [[wasp]] group presently treated as a subfamily of [[Vespidae]], but sometimes recognized in the past as a separate family, '''Eumenidae'''. ==Recognition== [[Image:Mesoscutum_Cephalastor_estela.PNG|thumb|left|Partial dorsal view of the thorax of ''[[Cephalastor|Cephalastor estela]]'' showing the position of tegulae and parategulae relative to the mesoscutum and pronotum]] Most eumenine species are black or brown, and commonly marked with strikingly contrasting patterns of yellow, white, orange, or red (or combinations thereof), but some species, mostly from [[tropical]] regions, show faint to strong blue or green [[metallic]] highlights in the background colors. Like most vespids, their wings are folded longitudinally at rest. They are particularly recognized by the following combination of characters: '''1)''' [[Mesothorax#Mesoscutum|Mesoscutum]] with a posterolateral projection known as parategula; '''2)''' Tarsal claws cleft; '''3)''' Hind [[Arthropod leg|coxa]]e with a longitudinal dorsal carina or folding, often developed into a lobe or tooth; '''4)''' Fore wing with 3 submarginal cells. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Biology== [[Image:Potter wasp nest 6734.jpg|thumb|right|A potter wasp nest on a brick wall in coastal [[South Carolina]].]] Eumenine wasps are diverse in [[nest]] building. The different species may either use pre-existing cavities (such as [[beetle]] tunnels in wood, abandoned nests of other [[hymenoptera]] or even man-made holes like old nail holes and even screw shafts on electronic devices) that they modify in several degrees, or they construct their own either underground or exposed nests. The nest may have one to multiple individual brood cells. The most widely-used building material is mud made of a mixture of [[earth]] and [[regurgitate]]d water, but many species use chewed plant material instead. The name "[[potter wasp]]" derives from the shape of the mud nests built by species of ''[[Eumenes]]'' and similar genera. It is believed that [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]]s based their pottery designs upon the form of local potter wasp nests. [von Frisch, 1974]. All known eumenine species are predators, most of them solitary [[mass provisioning|mass provisioners]], though some isolated species show primitive states of social behaviour and [[progressive provisioning]]. [[Image:Eumenide_Nestbau.jpg|thumb|right|Potter wasp building nest.]] When a cell is completed, the adult wasp typically collects [[beetle]] [[larva]]e, [[spider]]s or [[caterpillar]]s and, paralyzing them, places them in the cell to serve as food for a single wasp larva. As a normal rule, the adult wasp lays a single egg in the empty cell before provisioning it. Some species lay the egg in the opening of the cell, suspended from a thread of dried fluid. When the wasp larva hatches, it drops and start to feed upon the supplied prey for a period of time that normally last some few weeks before [[pupa]]ting. The complete life cycle may last from a few weeks to more than a year from the egg until the adult emerges. Adult potter wasps feed on floral [[nectar]]. ==Taxonomy== They are the most diverse subfamily of [[vespid]]s, with more than 200 genera, and contain the vast majority of species in the family. The overwhelming morphological diversity of the potter wasp species is reflected in the proliferation of genera described to group them in more manageable groups. You can see here the list of [[Potter wasp genera|potter wasp genera]]. ==References== *Carpenter, J. M. 1986. A synonymic generic checklist of the Eumeninae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Psyche. 93 : 61-90. *Carpenter, J.M. & B.R. Garcete-Barrett. 2003. A key to the neotropical genera of Eumeninae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Boletín del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural del Paraguay 14 : 52-73. *Giordani Soika, 1989. Terzo contributo alla conoscenza degli eumenidi afrotropicali (Hymenoptera). Societa Veneziana di Scienze Naturali Lavori 14(1) 1989:19-68. *Giordani Soika, A. 1992. Di alcuni eumenidi nuovi o poco noti (Hymenoptera Vespoidea). Societá Veneziana di Scienze Naturali Lavori 17 1992:41-68. *Giordani Soika, A. 1993. Di alcuni nuovi eumenidi della regione orientale (Hym. Vespoidea). Bollettino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Venezia 42, 30 giugno 1991(1993):151-163. *Gusenleitner. 1992. Zwei neue Eumeniden-Gattungen und -Arten aus Madagaskar (Vespoidea, Hymenoptera). Linzer Biologische Beitraege 24(1) 1992:91-96. *CSIRO Entomology Division. 1991.The Insects of Australia: a textbook for Students and Research. 2nd Edition. Melbourne University Press and Cornell University Press. 1137 pp. ==Links== http://www.organismnames.com/ [[Category:Vespoidea]] [[Category:Biological pest control agents]] <gallery> Image:Potter wasp 4932.jpg|''[[Eumenes (genus)|Eumenes]]'' sp. and [[mosquito]]es [[nectar]]ing on [[Solidago]] Image:Eumenes pomiformis01.jpg|''[[Eumenes pomiformis]]'' </gallery> [[de:Solitäre Faltenwespen]] [[es:Eumeninae]] [[fr:Eumeninae]] [[nl:Leemwespen]] [[no:Murervepser]] [[fi:Erakkoampiaiset]]