Nesting Behavior of Nearctic Species of Oxybelus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)1,2

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Abstract
Information on the nesting behavior of Oxybelus bipunctatus Olivier, uniglumis quadrinotatus Say, subulatus Robertson, emarginatus Say, and subcornutus Cockerell obtained during 1969-1971 in central New York is presented. Common ethological components included nesting in friable soil, provisioning cells with adult Diptera, and arranging the prey in the cell in a specific manner. Three kinds of digging behaviors were noted: “raking” and “pushing ”(bipunctatus, u. quadrinotatus); “carrying” (subulatus); and “pushing” (emarginatus, subcornutus). Prey selection varied from complete specificity at the family level (subcornutus, subulatus), to selection of many families (bipunctatus, u. quadrinotatus, emarginatus). Except for emarginatus, wasps showed a decided preference for male flies, subcornutus and subulatus selecting males exclusively. Prey transport included holding the prey with the middle legs (emarginatus, subcornutus); holding it with the middle legs while approaching the nest site and then landing and impaling it on the sting to facilitate entry (bipunctatus, rarely u. quadrinotatus); and retaining the prey impaled on the sting (subulatus, usually u. quadrinotatus). Two species (bipunctatus, u. quadrinotatus) made temporary closures of the entrances upon departure; the other species left them open. O. subulatus males participated in the nesting behavior, each becoming associated with a nest, remaining in or near the entrance, and permitting only the female to enter. Except for subcornutus, all species oviposited in a “Crabro-like” manner; subcornutus oviposited in a “Sphex-like” manner. The ethologies of other known Nearctic Oxybelus are discussed and compared with species from this study. Results challenge, in part, the morphological species group arrangement published previously.

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