Ampulicidae Shuckard, 1840
長背泥蜂科
The family includes 208 species, in Hong Kong at least 5 species
Appearance
The species of this family have generally elongated body (長背泥蜂科) with long, slender legs and metallic shine. They can be recognized by the combination of the following characteristics: pronotum rather long (as long as scutum), with a high collar; notauli long; midtibia with two apical spurs; claws with one inner spur; forewing with two or three submarginal cells.
Biology
Members of this family use various cockroaches as prey for their larvae, that gained them English common name “cockroach wasps”.
Distribution
Predominately tropical regions, only 17 species are known from the Palaearctic region.
Sources
Anagha, S. & Kumar, P.G. 2019. A taxonomic study of the genus Ampulex Jurine (Hymenoptera: Ampulicidae) from India with the description of one new species from Kerala. Devagiri Journal of Science 5:1–16.
Anagha, S., Kumar, P.G. & Sureshan, P.M. 2020. Additions to the knowledge of the genus Dolichurus Latreille (Hymenoptera: Ampulicidae) from India with the description of two new species. Zootaxa 4821: 121–134.
Barthélémy C & Guénard B. 2025. An annotated and illustrated checklist of Hong Kong aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Apoid wasps; Pompilioidea; Scolioidea; Thynnoidea; Tiphioidea; Vespoidea; Chrysidoidea). Insecta Mundi 1115: 1–230.
Chen, G. & Li, Q. 2010. A new species of the genus Ampulex (Hymenoptera: Ampulicidae) from China. Entomotaxonomia 32: 43–46.
Dollfuss, H. 2017. The Ampulicidae wasps of the “Biologiezentrum-Linz”-collection in Linz, Austria, including the genera Ampulex Jurine, Dolichurus Latreille, and Trirogma Westwood (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Ampulicidae). Linzer biologische Beiträge 49: 441–457
Gadallah N.S. 2020. Biodiversity of the aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) of the Arabian Peninsula: Apoidea (Spheciformes), Ampulicidae. Zootaxa 4754(1): 17–19.
GBIF.org (28 May 2024) GBIF Occurrence https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.272qrn
Liu Z-Z, Li Q, Ma L. 2025. Three new species and one new record of Ampulex Jurine (Hymenoptera, Ampulicidae) from China, with a key to Chinese species. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 98: 355–380. https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.98.145619
Ohl, M., Lohrmann, V., Breitkreuz, L., Kirschey, L. & Krause S. 2014. The Soul-Sucking Wasp by Popular Acclaim – Museum Visitor Participation in Biodiversity Discovery and Taxonomy. PloS one 9. e95068. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0095068.
Soliman A.M., Gadallah N.S., Ohl M. & Dhafer H.M.A. 2017. Revision of the digger wasps of the Ampulicidae and Heterogynaidae (Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia, with the description of a new species of the enigmatic genus Heterogyna Nagy. Journal of Natural History 51: 2057–2085. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2017.1355492.
Wu, Y. & Chou Q. 1985. A study of Chinese Ampulicidae with descriptions of 5 new species (Hymenoptera: Sphecoidea). Sinozoologia 3: 153–162.