Sceliphron, also known as black-and-yellow mud dauber wasps or black mud-dauber wasps, is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud.
As is the case with many insect genera, there are many tropical species. Some common temperate species include S. caementarium and S. curvatum.
Taxonomy and phylogeny
Sceliphron was divided into the subgenera S. (Sceliphron) and S. (Prosceliphron) by van der Vecht and van Breugel. They further divided the nominate subgenus into two species groups: the S. madraspatanum species-group and the S. spirifex species-group. However, due to Prosceliphron van der Vecht, 1968 being a junior homonym of Prosceliphron Frenguelli, 1946, Pagliano and Scaramozzino established the replacement name S. (Hensenia).
The subgenus S. (Sceliphron) builds nests that have with multiple cells covered in a secondary layer of mud while the subgenus S. (Hensenia) builds single-cell nests lacking a secondary layer of mud.
Behavior
Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, often just inside of windows or vent openings, and it may take a female only a day to construct a cell requiring dozens of trips carrying mud. Females will add new cells one by one to the nest after each cell is provisioned. They provision these nests with spiders, such as crab spiders, orb-weaver spiders and jumping spiders in particular, as food for the developing larvae. Each mud cell contains one egg and is provided with several prey items. Females of some species lay a modest average of 15 eggs over their whole lifespan. Various parasites attack these nests, including several species of cuckoo wasps, primarily by sneaking into the nest while the resident mud dauber is out foraging.
Like other solitary wasps, Sceliphron species are not aggressive unless threatened. They are sometimes regarded as beneficial due to their control of spider populations, though the spiders themselves may be beneficial in controlling pest...
