Sphecidae (Latreille, 1802)
Appearance
Family is commonly known as thread-waisted wasps. They are distinguished by a very slender, long petiole of the metasoma articulated to the mesosoma. Body size from 10 to 55 mm.
Biology
Solitary, predatory wasps. Provision nests with paralyzed insects or spiders, typically using mud, resin, or soil burrows.
Distribution
Worldwide
Sources
Barthelemy C. 2012. Nest Trapping, a simple method for gathering information on life histories of solitary bees and wasps. Bionomics of 21 species of solitary aculeate in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Entomological Bulletin 4: 3–37.
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.
Broad G. & Barthelemy C. 2012. A new species of Hadrocryptus (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae), with the first account of the biology for the genus. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 24: 1–47. https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.24.1888