Revision of the Australian Digger Wasps in the Genus Sphex (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae)
ZooKeys No. 521
By: T. Dorfel & M. Ohl
December 2015
Pensoft
Distributed by Coronet Books
ISBN: 9789546427878
104 Pages, Illustrated
$69.50 Paper original
Description:
Digger wasps of the genus Sphex (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae) occur on all continents, though their species diversity is greatest in the Australian and Oceanian region. Females are gregarious and construct ground nests that are then filled with paralyzed katydids as a food supply for the larvae. This monograph treats the 24 species of the genus that were previously known in Australia, as well as 11 new species from this region. All 35 species are described and overview photographs and detailed images of the most important diagnostic features are provided. Known geographic distributions and an identification key to males and females are included. This work vastly updates the previously scarce morphological data on this highly diverse insect group and offers new insights on its taxonomy.
