NOTES ON THREE SPECIES OF PISON JURINE, 1808 (HYMENOPTERA: CRABRONIDAE) COLLECTED IN RIO CLARO (SP), BRAZIL

ABSTRACT

The genus Pison Jurine (in Spinola), 1808 (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) was revised by Menke, 1988 and three subgenera were placed in synonymy with Pison: Pisonoides F. Smith, 1858; Krombeiniellum Richards,1962 and Entomopison Menke, 1968a. The genus includes 42 native species in the Neotropical Region and more of the half of these are found in Brazil. Some of them make mud nests on diverse substrates, such as: on the underface of broad leafs, on the wall of human constructions, boxes, windows, and in the edges of roofs. The coccons of some of these species are closed cells with a fine layer of mud in a small abandoned nest (made on vegetable fibres) of Mischocyttarus de Saussure, 1853 sp. (Hymenoptera.: Vespoidea, Vespidae, Polistinae, Mischocyttarini). This is the first record of nesting behavior for this species. Male of P. duckei is still undescribed. The third specie observed was P. delicatum Menke, n sp.

KEY WORDS:
Hymenoptera; Crabronidae; Pison duckei; Paureofaciale P; delicatum,; behavior.

RESUMO

O gênero Pison Jurine (in Spinola), 1808 (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) foi revisado por Menke, 1988 e três subgêneros foram colocados em sinonímia com Pison: Pisonoides F. Smith, 1858; Krombeiniellum Richards, 1962 e Entomopison Menke, 1968a. O gênero contém 42 espécies nativas na Região Neotropical e mais da metade dessas espécies são encontradas no Brasil. Algumas delas constróem ninhos de barro em diferentes substratos: na face inferior de largas folhas, em paredes de alvenaria, caixas, janelas, beirais de telhado. Os casulos de algumas dessas espécies são constituídos de minúsculos grãos de areia perfeitamente encaixados e fixados pela larva da vespa antes de empupar, como os observados em P. aureofaciale Strand,1910. Foram encontrados exemplares de P. duckei Menke,1968b, um macho e uma fêmea, em células fechadas com fina camada de barro em pequeno ninho abandonado (feito de fibras vegetais) de Mischocyttarus de Saussure, 1853 sp. (Hymenoptera : Vespoidea, Vespidae, Polistinae, Mischocyttarini) sendo este o primeiro relato do hábito de nidificação e descrição do casulo para a espécie. Macho desta espécie ainda não foi descrito. A terceira espécie observada foi de P. delicatum, Menke, n.sp.

PALAVRAS-CHAVE:
Hymenoptera; Crabronidae; Pison duckei; Paureofaciale; P; delicatum, comportamento

Crabronid wasps of the genus Pison Jurine, 1808 (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) were observed in animal rearing facility (a building measuring 30 x 39 m with an internal garden) of the Instituto de Biociências, at Universidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil (22° 25’S, 47° 32’W, 612 m). This genus has approximately 200 species describeds worldwide and only North America lacks native species (BOHART & MENKE, 1976; MENKE, 1988; ANTROPOV, 1994). In the Neotropical Region, 42 species of Pison occur (MENKE, 1988; MENKE & FERNÁNDEZ, 1996). The species of New World are segregated into 12 groups (MENKE, 1988).

Some species make aerial nests of mud and are found in several regions of Brazil, such as: P. pilosum Smith, P. aranevorax Menke, which build mud cells in different sheltered places (Menke, l988) and P. aureofaciale Strand, like P. sphaerophallus Menke, which also makes mud nests on varied substrates and their cocoons are constitued of microsized sand grains inserted and fixed by the larva of the wasp (PINTO et al., in press). A nest of P. delicatum Menke, a rather common South American species, was found in concealed places and the cocoons contained microsized sand grains (PINTO et al., pers. obs.). P. cressoni Rohwer builds a mud cell nest on bird’s nests (ONIKI, 1970 a, b in MENKE, 1988) and also builds mud cells on the interior of abandoned nests of Polybia Lepeletier, 1836 (Hymenoptera : Vespidae) wasps (Wenzel in litt.), and makes nests in other sheltered situations (MENKE 1988). Specimens of Pison longicorne Menke emerged from mud cells, under the envelope of an old nest of Metapolybia Ducke, 1905a (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) (RICHARDS, field notes 160 and 160A, BMNH, in Menke, 1988).

Eight small abandoned nests of Mischocyttarus sp. (Hym.: Vespoidea, Vespidae, Polistinae, Mischocyttarini), constructed of vegetable fibers, were observed. Some cells of these nests were closed with a fine layer of red mud. Mischocyttarus cerberus styx RICHARDS, 1940, M. cassununga Ihering, 1903 and M. drewseni de Saussure, 1857c were observed throughout the year (nesting in open places). Based on Richards (1978), the nests of M. cerberus (Duke) are small, subtriangular or subcircular comb, with an excentric pedicel, and of a light brown coloration. The distribution of M. cerberus styx in Brazil encompasses the states of São Paulo, Goiás and Mato Grosso (RICHARDS, 1978). Commonly, nests of this species consist of 1 to 4 adults which fly away when disturbed. M. cerberus styx mimics Agelaia pallipes Olivier (Hymenoptera : Vespidae, Polistinae, Epiponini) which is also found in the area, and becomes agressive when disturbed. Specimens of Trypoxylon (Trypoxylon) sp. (Hymenoptera : Crabronidae) were found in an abandoned nest of M. cassununga (nest with more than 80 cells) in the same place.

Two nests (Fig. 1) were collected, placed into Petri dishes, and taken to the laboratory on November 17th 1998. A specimen of crabronid emerged in the next day. A second crabronid emerged on October 1st, 1999. One of the nests contained 11 cells from which 2 (the largest ones) were closed with a fine layer of mud. Subsequently, these were examined under a stereomicroscope and interior holes of 1 mm in size between the cells were detected. Neither cocoons nor remains of hosts in the nest were encountered. The second nest had 40 cells. One cell closed with mud was opened revealing 2 firm, light chesnut colored cocoons, with few embedded microsized sand grains. A dark thick meconium with a fine and light colored layer over one of their extremities was observed. Some threads externally covered the cocoons, and adults wasps emerged from the cell through lateral holes. A third nest, with similar characteristics, was found on a edge of a roof on February 15th, 2000. It contained 11 cells, one of which was closed with mud. On September 15th, 2000 the nest was examined and remains of spider, a larva, and the cocoon were observed. Five other nests with similar characteristics to previous ones were colected during 2000. Six of the eight nests showed holes which ranged from 1 to 1.5 mm in the lower parts of the cells near to the ones closed with mud. No cocoons or adults of P. duckei were found. Partially consumed spiders were found in 6 nests.

Pison wasps provision cells with spiders (BOHART & MENKE, 1976; MENKE, 1988). Some species of Pison prefer specific spider species and the last spider introduced in the cell receives the wasp’s egg (BOHART & MENKE, 1976).

Fig. l
A) Nest of Mischocyttarus sp. (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) with 11 cells, 2 closed with a fine layer of mud and with lateral holes. B) Nest of Mischocyttarus sp. (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) with 40 cells, where cocoons of Pison duckei Menke (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae) were located: b1 - a nest with 1 mud-closed cell: b2 - 2 cocoons inside this cell: b3 - detail of the cocoon with some mineral particles present.

Adults which emerged from the second nest were sent to Arnold S. Menke, at the Ammophila Research Institute, Bisbee, Arizona, USA, who stated that :²Your Pison, a male and a female, appear to be duckei Menke, but your material is outside to known range of duckei, and the specimens are somewhat atypical. Unfortunately, I have no material here to compare with your wasp. For the time being I guess you can call the wasp duckei with a question mark.” Males of P. duckei (Stangei Group) are not presently described. P. duckei ranges from Panamá to central Brazil (MENKE, 1988) and our observations are from South-East Brazil, approximately 660 km south of Brasília. The specimens will be deposited as voucher specimens in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, USA.

Acknowledgements

To Arnold S. Menke, from Ammophila Research Institute, Bisbee, Arizona, USA, for the identification of the specimens of Pison duckei Menke, Pison aureofaciale Strand, Pison delicatum Menke and comments on the text.

REFERENCES

• ANTROPOV, A.V. A Review of the Agile Species Group of Pison (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Trypoxylini). J. Hym. Res., v.3, p.114-132, 1994.
• BOHART, R M. & MENKE A.S. Sphecid wasps of the world: a generic revision. Berkeley: University of California, 1976. 695p.
• MENKE, A.S. Pison in the new world: a revision (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Trypoxylini). Contrib. Am. Entomol. Inst, Ann Arbor, v.24, n.3, p.1171,.1988.
• MENKE, A.S. & FERNÁNDEZ, C.F. Claves ilustradas para las subfamilias, tribus y géneros de esfécidos neotropicales (Apoidea: Sphecidae). Rev. Biol. Trop., v.44, n.2, p.1-68, 1996.
• RICHARDS, O.W. The social wasps of the Americas excluding the Vespinae. Norwich: British Museum of Natural History. Fletcher & Son, 1978. 521 p.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  20 Sept 2024
• Date of issue
  Jan-Mar 2002

History

• Received
  05 June 2001
• Accepted
  15 Apr 2002