Sphex pensylvanicus
Encyclopedia
Sphex pensylvanicus is a species
of digger wasp
, commonly known as the great black wasp. It lives across most of North America
and grows to a size of 20–35 mm (0.78740157480315–1.4 ). The larvae feed on living insects which the females paralyze and carry to the underground nest.
, except in the north-west, and also occurs in northern Mexico
. The northernmost localities in which it has been reported are Durham, New Hampshire
, Malden, Massachusetts
and Amherst, Massachusetts
, as well as locations in the states of New York
, Indiana
, Michigan
and Minnesota
.
Sphex ichneumoneus (the great golden digger wasp). Males are smaller than females, at only 19–28 mm (0.748031496062992–1.1 ) long, to females 25–34 mm (0.984251968503937–1.3 ). According to John Bartram
, "The Sting of this Wasp is painful, but does not swell like others". As well as being larger than S. ichneumoneus, it is also darker, with smoky wings and an entirely black body, where S. ichneumoneus has yellow wings, red legs, and a partly red abdomen.
n insect
s, particularly of the genera Microcentrum
, Amblycorypha and Scudderia
. Prey are stung three times, once in the neck and twice in the thorax, and are paralyzed
by the wasp's sting, although they can survive for weeks. The prey are then carried to the nest. While collecting their prey, the females are vulnerable to kleptoparasitism
, in which birds, including the house sparrow
(Passer domesticus) and the gray catbird
(Dumetella carolinensis), steal the prey that the wasp has collected.
The eggs
of S. pensylvanicus are 5 millimetre long and 1 mm (0.0393700787401575 in) wide; they are glued to the underside of the prey insect between the first and second pairs of legs. Each of the several chambers in the nest houses a single larva
, which consumes 2–6 katydids or grasshopper
s. The larvae live for 10 days, reaching a final size of 30 millimetre long by 7 millimetre wide.
S. pensylvanicus is an important pollinator
of plants including the milkweeds
Asclepias syriaca and A. incarnata. It has also been reported on Daucus carota, Eryngium yuccifolium
and Melilotus albus
. S. pensylvanicus is one of several species of Sphex to be parasitized by the strepsiptera
n Paraxenos westwoodi.
, when observations made by John Bartram
on S. pensylvanicus were presented to the Royal Society
in 1749 by Peter Collinson. Sphex pensylvanicus was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1763 work Centuria Insectorum
, using material sent to him by Charles De Geer
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of digger wasp
Digger wasp
Wasps of the genus Sphex are cosmopolitan predators of the family Sphecidae that sting and paralyze prey insects. There are over 130 known digger wasp species. In preparation for egg laying, they construct a protected "nest" and then stock it with captured insects...
, commonly known as the great black wasp. It lives across most of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and grows to a size of 20–35 mm (0.78740157480315–1.4 ). The larvae feed on living insects which the females paralyze and carry to the underground nest.
Distribution
S. pensylvanicus is distributed across the Continental United StatesContiguous United States
The contiguous United States are the 48 U.S. states on the continent of North America that are south of Canada and north of Mexico, plus the District of Columbia....
, except in the north-west, and also occurs in northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The northernmost localities in which it has been reported are Durham, New Hampshire
Durham, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,664 people, 2,882 households, and 1,582 families residing in the town. The population density was 565.5 people per square mile . There were 2,923 housing units at an average density of 130.5 per square mile...
, Malden, Massachusetts
Malden, Massachusetts
Malden is a suburban city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 59,450 at the 2010 census. In 2009 Malden was ranked as the "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in Massachusetts by Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine.-History:...
and Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
, as well as locations in the states of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
Description
Sphex pensylvanicus is a large, black wasp, significantly larger than its congenerCongener
Congener has several different meanings depending on the field in which it is used. Colloquially, it is used to mean a person or thing like another, in character or action.-Biology:In biology, congeners are organisms within the same genus...
Sphex ichneumoneus (the great golden digger wasp). Males are smaller than females, at only 19–28 mm (0.748031496062992–1.1 ) long, to females 25–34 mm (0.984251968503937–1.3 ). According to John Bartram
John Bartram
*Hoffmann, Nancy E. and John C. Van Horne, eds., America’s Curious Botanist: A Tercentennial Reappraisal of John Bartram 1699-1777. Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 243. ....
, "The Sting of this Wasp is painful, but does not swell like others". As well as being larger than S. ichneumoneus, it is also darker, with smoky wings and an entirely black body, where S. ichneumoneus has yellow wings, red legs, and a partly red abdomen.
Ecology and life cycle
Adult females of S. pensylvanicus build an underground nest which they provision with various orthopteraOrthoptera
Orthoptera is an order of insects with paurometabolous or incomplete metamorphosis, including the grasshoppers, crickets and locusts.Many insects in this order produce sound by rubbing their wings against each other or their legs, the wings or legs containing rows of corrugated bumps...
n insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, particularly of the genera Microcentrum
Microcentrum
Microcentrum is a genus of katydids, commonly known as angle-wing katydids.- Species :The following is a list of all Microcentrum species contained in the Orthoptera Species File....
, Amblycorypha and Scudderia
Scudderia
Scudderia is a genus of katydids in the sub-family Phaneropterinae.-Species:* Scudderia beckeri Piza, 1967* Scudderia bivittata Piza, 1976* Scudderia chelata Piza, 1980* Scudderia cuneata Morse, 1901...
. Prey are stung three times, once in the neck and twice in the thorax, and are paralyzed
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
by the wasp's sting, although they can survive for weeks. The prey are then carried to the nest. While collecting their prey, the females are vulnerable to kleptoparasitism
Kleptoparasitism
Kleptoparasitism or cleptoparasitism is a form of feeding in which one animal takes prey or other food from another that has caught, collected, or otherwise prepared the food, including stored food...
, in which birds, including the house sparrow
House Sparrow
The House Sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia...
(Passer domesticus) and the gray catbird
Gray Catbird
The Gray Catbird , also spelled Grey Catbird, is a medium-sized northern American perching bird of the mimid family. It is the only member of the "catbird" genus Dumetella...
(Dumetella carolinensis), steal the prey that the wasp has collected.
The eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
of S. pensylvanicus are 5 millimetre long and 1 mm (0.0393700787401575 in) wide; they are glued to the underside of the prey insect between the first and second pairs of legs. Each of the several chambers in the nest houses a single larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
, which consumes 2–6 katydids or grasshopper
Grasshopper
The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
s. The larvae live for 10 days, reaching a final size of 30 millimetre long by 7 millimetre wide.
S. pensylvanicus is an important pollinator
Pollinator
A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain...
of plants including the milkweeds
Asclepias
Asclepias L. , the milkweeds, is a genus of herbaceous perennial, dicotyledonous plants that contains over 140 known species...
Asclepias syriaca and A. incarnata. It has also been reported on Daucus carota, Eryngium yuccifolium
Eryngium yuccifolium
Eryngium yuccifolium is a common herbaceous perennial plant, native to the tallgrass prairies of central and eastern North America, from Minnesota east to Ohio and south to Texas and Florida. In the Chicago Region this species has a coefficient of conservatism of 9...
and Melilotus albus
Melilotus albus
Melilotus albus , is a legume sometimes grown for forage. White sweet clover is a major source of nectar for an apiary...
. S. pensylvanicus is one of several species of Sphex to be parasitized by the strepsiptera
Strepsiptera
The Strepsiptera are an order of insects with ten families making up about 600 species...
n Paraxenos westwoodi.
Taxonomic history
Sphex pensylvanicus was the subject of the first article on an insect written by a native of the New WorldNew World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, when observations made by John Bartram
John Bartram
*Hoffmann, Nancy E. and John C. Van Horne, eds., America’s Curious Botanist: A Tercentennial Reappraisal of John Bartram 1699-1777. Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 243. ....
on S. pensylvanicus were presented to the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1749 by Peter Collinson. Sphex pensylvanicus was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1763 work Centuria Insectorum
Centuria Insectorum
is a 1763 taxonomic work by Carl Linnaeus, and defended as a thesis by Boas Johansson; which of the two men should be credited with its authorship has been the subject of some controversy. It includes descriptions of 102 new insect and crustacean species that had been sent to Linnaeus from...
, using material sent to him by Charles De Geer
Charles De Geer
Baron Charles de Geer was a Swedish industrialist and entomologist.- Life :...
.