Cerceris
{{Short description|Genus of wasps}}
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{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Cerceris rybyensis.jpg
| image_caption = Cerceris rybyensis
| taxon = Cerceris
| authority = Latreille, 1802
| type_species = Cerceris rybyensis
| type_species_authority = (Linnaeus, 1771)
| diversity_link = List of Cerceris species
| diversity = 876
}}
Cerceris is a genus of wasps in the family Philanthidae.{{cite journal |first1=Manuela |last1=Sann |first2=Oliver |last2=Niehuis |first3=Ralph S. |last3=Peters |first4=Christoph |last4=Mayer |first5=Alexey |last5=Kozlov |first6=Lars |last6=Podsiadlowski |first7=Sarah |last7=Bank |first8=Karen |last8=Meusemann |first9=Bernhard |last9=Misof |first10=Christoph |last10=Bleidorn |first11=Michael |last11=Ohl |date=2018 |title=Phylogenomic analysis of Apoidea sheds new light on the sister group of bees. |journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |volume= 18 |issue=71 |page=71 |doi=10.1186/s12862-018-1155-8 |doi-access=free|pmid=29776336 |pmc=5960199 |bibcode=2018BMCEE..18...71S }} It is the largest genus in the family, with 876 described species and 169 subspecies.[http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/entomology/entomology_resources/hymenoptera/sphecidae/genera/Cerceris.pdf] Cerceris Catalog The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species on every continent.Genaro, J. A. (2004). [http://www.caribbeanahigroup.org/genaropdf/2004ecerceris.pdf A new species of Cerceris from Hispaniola, West Indies (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Philanthinae).] Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 77(4) 761-64.
The adult female Cerceris wasp generally digs a nest in the soil and provisions it with living prey items she has paralyzed with venom.Alexander, B. A. and J. D. Asis. (1997). [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/B:JOIR.0000010419.22244.71#page-1 Patterns of nest occupancy and provisioning in Cerceris rufopicta Smith (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae).] Journal of Insect Behavior 10(6) 871-93. The prey are usually beetles, and sometimes bees. Many Cerceris are solitary, but some species share nesting sites or nest communally.
The faces of the females are frequently modified with unusual projections on the clypeus and the clypeal margin which can take the shape of conical bulges to elongated curving "horns". Paralyzed prey are carried in the females' mandibles, which are somewhat elongated and tend to have prominent teeth, often with species-specific shapes. The abdominal segments are also constricted very strongly at the junctures, giving the abdomen a somewhat corrugated, accordion-like appearance.
Gallery
File:Cerceris triangulata, male BIML USGS.jpg|Cerceris triangulata
File:Dorsal view cerceris.jpg|Cerceris fumipennis
File:Cerceris concinna.jpg|Cerceris concinna
File:Cerceris P1110962a.jpg|
File:Cerceris P1310556a.jpg|
File:Cerceris intricata graphica P1490595a.jpg|
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110721205301/http://www.hymis.info/fotos/pictures/list.php?tree=Aculeata.171.14&sub=yes&fam_level=2&tree_id=14&tree_status=plus&tree_seq=10 Hymis.de] Photographs
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