Albert T. Finnamore. 1998. Aculeate Wasps in Smith, I.M., and G.G.E. Scudder, eds. Assessment of species diversity in the Montane Cordillera Ecozone. Burlington: Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network, 1998.

ACULEATE WASPS

(Excluding Formicidae)

Albert T. Finnamore

APOIDEA

The Apoidea (bees and sphecid wasps) is represented by about 1,300 species in Canada with about 28,000 species worldwide (Finnamore and Michener 1993). The Apoidea is treated as two informal groups, the spheciformes or sphecid wasps (Sphecidae) and the apiformes or bees (Colletidae, Stenotritidae, Andrenidae, Oxaeidae, Halictidae, Melittidae, Ctenoplectridae, Fideliidae, Megachilidae, Anthophoridae, and Apidae). Only the spheciformes is considered here. The spheciformes comprise the family Sphecidae which includes about 8,000 species in nine subfamilies. This study found 177 species reported from the Montane Cordillera.

SPHECIDAE

Sphecid wasps include the thread-waisted wasps, mud-daubers, sand wasps and others. They are for the most part predatory seeking a wide variety of prey ranging from spiders to most groups of insects. Host groups within a genus or within some tribes remain fairly constant. Some species are cleptoparasitic on other sphecids. Nests are constructed in the ground, rotting wood or in twigs. Eight subfamilies and 403 species are found in Canada mainly in the south. There are 177 species collected in the Montane Cordillera Ecozone.

Sphecinae

The subfamily Sphecinae, thread-waisted wasps and mud-daubers, is a group of medium to large wasps found around the world. The Canadian fauna includes 48 species, 21 of which are found in the Montane Cordillera Ecozone. Sphecinae have a wide range of nesting behaviour; prey usually includes spiders, orthopteroids or lepidopterous larvae. Species in the Ecozone prey on spiders, and lepidopterous or hymenopterous larvae; and nest in the ground.

1. Chlorion aerarium Patton

DISTRIBUTION: British Columbia, Ontario. This species is transcontinental in the United States, south to northern Mexico (Bohart and Menke 1976).

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera.

BC: Oliver.

2. Chalybion californicum (Saussure)

DISTRIBUTION: Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec. This species is transcontinental in North America, south to Mexico (Bohart and Menke 1976).

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia although it is found in several Ecozones in Alberta.

BC: Keremeos; Lillooet; Lillooet, Seton Lake; Okanagan Falls; Oliver; Peachland 1912 (CNC); Penticton; Robson; Salmon Arm; Summerland; Vernon.

3. Sceliphron caementarium (Drury)

DISTRIBUTION: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec. This species is transcontinental in North America, south to Central America; Australia, South Pacific Islands, and Europe (Bohart and Menke 1976).

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is not restricted to the Montane Cordillera.

BC: Armstrong; Cresten; Ft. Steele; Kamloops; Kaslo; Keremeos; Okanagan; Osoyoos; Penticton; Robson; Salmon Arm; Shuswap Lake; Summerland; Vernon.

4. Sphex (Sphex) ichneumoneus (Linnaeus)

DISTRIBUTION: Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan. Bohart and Menke (1963) report this species widespread from southern Canada to Brazil, Peru and Ecuador.

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia.

BC: Kamloops; Keremeos; Lillooet; Nicola; Okanagan; Okanagan Falls; Oliver; Osoyoos; Peachland; Penticton; Summerland; Vernon.

5. Sphex (Fernaldina) lucae Saussure

DISTRIBUTION: British Columbia.

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia.

BC: Okanagan Valley; Osoyoos; Robson.

6. Isodontia elegans (Smith)

DISTRIBUTION: Alberta, British Columbia.

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia.

BC: Keremeos; Oliver; Robson; Summerland.

7. Palmodes carbo Bohart and Menke

DISTRIBUTION: British Columbia. Western United States and Mexico (Bohart and Menke 1976).

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia.

BC: Okanagan; Osoyoos 4000'; Pavilion Lake.

8. Palmodes hesperus Bohart and Menke

DISTRIBUTION: British Columbia. United States Great Basin to west coast (Bohart and Menke 1976).

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia.

BC: Oliver.

9. Prionyx atratus (Lepeletier)

DISTRIBUTION: Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan. North America (Bohart and Menke 1976).

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia.

BC: Kamloops; Okanagan Falls; Oliver; Osoyoos; Penticton; Summerland; Vernon.

10. Prionyx canadensis (Provancher)

DISTRIBUTION: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, south to California, Arizona, Colorado and Nebraska, Ontario, New Jersey, Virginia (Krombein et al. 1979).

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is not restricted to the Montane Cordillera.

BC: Kamloops; Okanagan; Okanagan Falls; Oliver; Osoyoos; Penticton; Robson; Summerland; Thompson River; Vernon.

BIOLOGY predator. Host - Orthoptera.

11. Podalonia communis (Cresson)

DISTRIBUTION: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon. Murray (1940) also reported North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Washington, Oregon.

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is not restricted to the Montane Cordillera.

ALTA: Banff; Jasper; Waterton.

BC: Anarchist Mt., Osoyoos; Aspen Grove; Chase; Creston; Golden; Hedley; Hedley, Mt. Apex; Hedley, Nickel Plate; Kamloops; Kaslo; Kelowna; Keremeos, Shingle Creek Road; Keremeos, Twin Lake 4700'; Lac Le Jeune; Lillooet; Lillooet, Seton Lake 1925; Manning Park 4000'; Manning Park, Blackwall 6000' 1953; Merritt, Midday Valley; Mount Revelstoke; Nelson; Nicola; Okanagan Falls 3000'; Oliver; Oliver, Baldy Mt.; Oliver, McIntyre Creek; Oliver, Orofino Mt.; Osoyoos; Penticton, Shingle Creek; Princton; Robson; Salmon Arm; Similkameen; Okanagan; Summerland; Thompson River; Vaseaux Lake, Oliver; Vernon.

12. Podalonia luctuosa (F. Smith)

DISTRIBUTION: transcontinental, north to Yukon and Northwest Territories. Murray (1940) reported this species from Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California.

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is not restricted to the Montane Cordillera.

ALTA: Banff; Canmore; Jasper; Jasper Park; Waterton.

BC: Alexs Creek; Cawston, 4mi e.; Clinton; Courtenay; Cranbrook; Creston; Fort Steele; Golden; Hedley, Nickel Plate; Invermere; Kamloops; Keremeos, Twin Lake 4700'; Lac Le Jeune; Merritt; Newgate; Nicola; Okanagan Lake; Oliver; Peachland; Penticton; Robson; Salmon Arm; Shuswap; Summerland; Thompson River; Vaseaux Lake, Oliver; Vernon; Walhachin; Wasa.

BIOLOGY: predator. Host - Lepidoptera.

13. Podalonia mexicana (Saussure)

DISTRIBUTION: Murray (1940) reported this species from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California.

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia.

BC: Chilcotin; Fort Steele; Kamloops; Keremeos; Lillooet; Lytton; Nicola.

BIOLOGY: predator. Host - Lepidoptera.

14. Podalonia mickeli Murray

DISTRIBUTION: Murray (1940) reported this species from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Montana, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, California.

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia.

BC: Cawston, 4mi e.

BIOLOGY: predator. Host - Lepidoptera.

15. Podalonia robusta (Cresson)

DISTRIBUTION: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon. This species was reported from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Mexico, Costa Rica (Murray 1940).

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is not restricted to the Montane Cordillera.

ALTA: Waterton.

BC: Clinton; Creston; Kaslo; Keremeos; Manning Park; Oliver; Osoyoos; Robson; Salmon Arm; Summerland.

16. Podalonia sericea Murray

DISTRIBUTION: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and western states, east to Dakotas (Krombein et al. 1979).

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia.

BC: Armstrong; Keremeos, Shingle Creek Road; Okanagan Falls; Oliver; Osoyoos; Peachland; Robson; Summerland.

BIOLOGY: predator. Host - Lepidoptera.

17. Podalonia valida (Cresson)

DISTRIBUTION: Murray (1940) reported this species from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Washington, California.

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia.

BC: Nicola; Okanagan; Oliver; Vernon.

BIOLOGY: predator. Host - Lepidoptera.

18. Ammophila alberti Haldeman   Ammophila kennedyi

DISTRIBUTION: Alberta, British Columbia, and western states, east to Iowa (Krombein et al. 1979).

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia.

BC: Oliver; Osoyoos; Peachland; Penticton.

BIOLOGY: predator. Host - Lepidoptera.

19. Ammophila macra Cresson

DISTRIBUTION: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, western United States (Menke 1965).

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia.

BC: Chilcotin; Invermere; Okanagan Valley; Oliver.

BIOLOGY: predator. Host - Lepidoptera.

20. Ammophila mediata Cresson

DISTRIBUTION: Alberta, British Columbia, and western United States, north to Yukon and Northwest Territories (Krombein et al. 1979).

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia.

BC: Revelstoke, Selkirk Mts.

BIOLOGY: predator. Host - Lepidoptera.

21. Ammophila procera Dahlbom

DISTRIBUTION: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, transcontinental in United States, south to Guatemala (Krombein et al. 1979).

MONTANE CORDILLERA ECOZONE: collection records from western Canada indicate this species is restricted to the Montane Cordillera in British Columbia.

BC: Armstrong; Creston; Fort Steele; Keremeos, Shingle Creek Road; Lillooet, Seton Lake; Merritt; Nicola; Okanagan Falls; Oliver; Osoyoos, Richter Pass Road; Peachland; Princeton; Robson; Similkameen, Okanagan; Summerland.

BIOLOGY: predator. Host - Lepidoptera.