Ageniellini

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Hymenopterida
Ordo: Hymenoptera
Subordo: Apocrita
Superfamilia: Pompiloidea

Familia: Pompilidae
Subfamilia: Pepsinae
Tribus: Ageniellini
Genera: Ageniella – Auplopus – Cyemagenia – Eragenia – Melanagenia – Phanagenia – Poecilagenia – Priocnemella
References

Lelej, A.S. & V.M. Loktionov, 2008: A review of the genus Poecilagenia Haupt, 1927 (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) of the Russia with the world Catalogue of the species. Far Eastern Entomologist 190: 1–16. Full article: [1].
Shimizu, A. , M. Wasbauer & Y. Takami, 2010: Phylogeny and the evolution of nesting behaviour in the tribe Ageniellini (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 160 (1): 88–117. DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00592.x
* Waichert, C., von Dohlen, C.D. & Pitts, J.P. 2014. Resurrection, revision and molecular phylogenetics of Eragenia Banks with implications for Ageniellini systematics (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). Systematic entomology 40(2): 291–321. DOI: 10.1111/syen.12101 Reference page.
Wasbauer, M.S., 1987: A new genus of Ageniellini from Central America (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsinae. Psyche 94: 181–188. Abstract: [2].
Wasbauer, M.S. & L.S. Kimsey, 2010: The Pompilidae of the Algodones Dunes, California, with description of new species (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). The Pan-Pacific Entomologist 86 (1): 2–9. DOI: 10.3956/2009-30.1.

Ageniellini, known as the mud-nesting spider wasps, is a tribe of spider wasps in the subfamily Pepsinae.

Description

The Ageniellini are slender-bodied spider wasps. They are distinguished from most other Pompilidae by their petiolate abdominal structure and typical absence of a transverse carina on the first segment of the gaster. These traits are, however, shared with Melanagenia of the tribe Pepsini, which is separated by the lack of malar space, deep lateral sulcus of the pronotum, and wing venation.[1][2]
Distribution

The tribe Ageniellini is cosmopolitan.[3]
Behavior

Members of Ageniellini have one of three lifestyles that either invade the nests of other spider wasp nests as kleptoparasites, build their own nests in dry soil, or build thimble-shaped nests out of mud.[3] The most common of these nesting strategies is building mud nests, which are frequently communal in contrast to most other spider wasp groups.[4] As typical of the rest of the family, the Ageniellini provision their nests with a single spider and then lay an egg on it.[1] Most of the species remove the legs of their spider prey before bringing it to the nest.[4][5]
Genera

There are 16 genera within Ageniellini.[3]

Ageniella Banks, 1912
Atopagenia Wasbauer, 1987
Auplopus Spinola, 1841
Cyemagenia Arnold, 1946
Dichragenia Haupt, 1950
Eragenia Banks, 1946
Dimorphagenia Evans, 1973
Machaerothrix Haupt, 1938
Macromerella Banks, 1934
Macromeris Lepeletier, 1831
Paragenia Bingham, 1896
Phanagenia Banks, 1933
Mystacagenia Evans, 1973
Phanochilus Banks, 1944
Poecilagenia Haupt, 1926
Priocnemella Banks, 1925

References

Waichert, Cecilia; Rodriguez, Juanita; Wasbauer, Marius S.; von Dohlen, Carol D.; Pitts, James P. (2015). "Molecular phylogeny and systematics of spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae): redefining subfamily boundaries and the origin of the family". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 175 (2): 271–287. doi:10.1111/zoj.12272.
Wahis, Raymond; Durand, Frédéric; Villemant, Claire (2009). "Pompiles de l'île d'Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Pompilidae)". Zoosystema. 31 (3): 707–718. doi:10.5252/z2009n3a15.
Shimizu, Akira; Wasbauer, Marius; Takami, Yasuoki (2010). "Phylogeny and the evolution of nesting behaviour in the tribe Ageniellini (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 160 (1): 88–117. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00592.x.
Gess, Sarah K.; Gess, Friedrich W. (2014). Wasps and bees in southern Africa. Grahamstown: Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute. ISBN 978-1-919976-73-0.
Carvalho-Filhoa, Fernando da Silva; Aukob, Tiago Henrique; Waichert, Cecília (2015). "Observations on the nesting behaviour of the spider wasp Eragenia congrua (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), with the first record of the host". Journal of Natural History. 49 (33–34): 2035–2044. doi:10.1080/00222933.2015.1006701.