sand wasps
(Gorytes spp.)
Overview • Description • Distribution • Taxonomy
Overview |
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There are 75 species of sand wasps in the genus Gorytes worldwide, 32 species in North America north of Mexico, and at least 2 species in Minnesota. The female builds a nest with several cells in sandy ground. She stings a leafhopper to paralyze it, and carries it back to the nest. Each cell is provisioned with a leafhopper and contains a single egg. |
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Description |
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Sand wasps in the genus Gorytes are medium-sized black wasps with yellow markings. They look like and are often mistaken for potter and mason wasps. Compared to other closely related species, Gorytes have a more compact mesosoma, a short pronotum, and a short propodeum. The fourth segment (tibia) of the middle and hind legs have two spurs at the tip. The wing has three submarginal cells. The second and third cells have four sides. The stigma is well developed. |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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| 7/10/2022 | ||||
Taxonomy |
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Order |
Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies) | ||
Suborder |
Apocrita (narrow-waisted wasps, ants, and bees) | ||
Infraorder |
Aculeata (ants, bees, and stinging wasps) | ||
Superfamily |
Apoidea (bees and apoid wasps) | ||
Family |
Crabronidae (square-headed wasps, sand wasps, and allies) | ||
Subfamily |
Bembicinae | ||
Tribe |
Bembicini (sand wasps) | ||
| Subtribe | Gorytina | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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Gorytes abdominalis Gorytes aequalis Gorytes africanus Gorytes aino Gorytes albidulus Gorytes albilabris Gorytes albosignatus Gorytes ambiguus Gorytes angustus Gorytes atricornis Gorytes atrifrons Gorytes butleri Gorytes californicus Gorytes canaliculatus Gorytes catalinae Gorytes claripennis Gorytes cochisensis Gorytes deceptor Gorytes divisus Gorytes dorothyae Gorytes effugiens Gorytes erugatus Gorytes fallax Gorytes fasciatus Gorytes flagellatus Gorytes flavidulus Gorytes foveolatus Gorytes guerrero Gorytes hadrus Gorytes harbinensis Gorytes hebraeus Gorytes imperialis Gorytes intrudens Gorytes ishigakiensis Gorytes jonesi Gorytes kohlii Gorytes kulingensis Gorytes laticinctus Gorytes limbellus Gorytes maculicornis Gorytes mcateei Gorytes melpomene Gorytes montanus Gorytes natalensis Gorytes neglectus Gorytes nevadensis Gorytes nigricomus Gorytes nigrifacies Gorytes nyasicus Gorytes ocellatus Gorytes pieli Gorytes planifrons Gorytes pleuripunctatus Gorytes procrustes Gorytes prosopis Gorytes provancheri Gorytes quadrifasciatus Gorytes quinquecinctus Gorytes quinquefasciatus Gorytes ranosahae Gorytes rubiginosus Gorytes rufomaculatus Gorytes samiatus Gorytes schlettereri Gorytes schmidti Gorytes schmiedeknechti Gorytes simillimus Gorytes smithii Gorytes sulcifrons Gorytes tanythrix Gorytes tobiasi Gorytes tricinctus Gorytes umatillae Gorytes venustus Gorytes willcoxi |
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The genus Gorytes was formerly placed in the subfamily Nyssoninae of the family Sphecidae. |
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Synonyms |
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Common Names |
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This genus has no common name. The common name of the tribe Bembicini is sand wasps, and it is used here for convenience. |
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Glossary
Mesosoma
In Hymenoptera: the front part of the body, consisting of all three segments of the thorax and the first segment of the abdomen, to which the wings are attached.
Pronotum
The exoskeletal plate on the upper side of the first segment of the thorax of an insect.
Stigma
In plants, the portion of the female part of the flower that is receptive to pollen. In Lepidoptera, an area of specialized scent scales on the forewing of some skippers, hairstreaks, and moths. In other insects, a thickened, dark, or opaque cell on the leading edge of the wing.
Tibia
The fourth segment of an insect leg, after the femur and before the tarsus (foot). The fifth segment of a spider leg or palp.
Visitor Photos |
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Alfredo Colon |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
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| Gorytes quinquecinctus Iyp-tala |
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Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
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| Gorytes refugespourinsectes |
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About
Aug 3, 2019 Lorsque une Gorytes commence sont nid dans la terre : Google tranlation: When a Gorytes begins its nest in the earth: |
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| Gorytes sp. (family Crabronidae) She Who Tends the Woods |
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About
Aug 23, 2018 Edit: Someone on iNaturalist corrected my ID on this wasp. Apparently, it is a Gorytes species from family Crabronidae, which they informed me preys on leafhoppers and nests in the ground. As such, I have updated the video title and removed it from the "Tale of Two Wasps Playlist," which featured a mason wasp and a cuckoo wasp, which snuck into its nest. A little after 10:00 a.m. on the morning of August 23, I noticed a wasp I didn't recognize hunting among my raspberry plants. Later that day, after reviewing the footage, I would recognize it as a mason wasp. It may have been the same one, who will make an appearance in the next video, or perhaps a close relative. |
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Visitor Sightings |
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| Alfredo Colon 8/14/2019 |
Location: Woodbury, Minnesota |
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| Alfredo Colon 8/9/2019 |
Location: Woodbury, Minnesota |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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Created: 5/17/2021
Last Updated: