Sphex ichneumoneus

Sphex ichneumoneus, known commonly as the great golden digger wasp or great golden sand digger is a wasp in the family Sphecidae. It is identified by the golden pubescence on its head and thorax, its reddish orange legs, and partly reddish orange body. This wasp is native to the Western Hemisphere, from Canada to South America, and provisions its young with various types of paralyzed Orthoptera.[1]

Sphex ichneumoneus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Sphecidae
Genus: Sphex
Species:
S. ichneumoneus
Binomial name
Sphex ichneumoneus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
  • Apis ichneumonea Linnaeus, 1758
  • Nomada surinamensis Retzius, 1783
  • Sphex aurifluus Perty, 1833
  • Sphex aurocapillus Templeton, 1841
  • Sphex croesus Lepeletier, 1845
  • Sphex dimidiatus Lepeletier, 1845
  • Sphex sumptuosus A. Costa, 1862

D. Hofstadter cites the observation by Woodridge of S. ichneumoneus continually repeating behavior (checking a burrow before pulling in a cricket) as an example of genetic determinism, calling the behavior "sphexish".[2]

References
  1. Wojciech J. Pulawski (June 10, 2010). "Sphex" (PDF). Catalog of Sphecidae sensu lato. California Academy of Sciences.
  2. "Sphexishness".


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