Pison

CrabronidaePison

Pison are a cosmopolitan genus of wasps, within the family Crabronidae. Found throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world, with most species occurring in the Southern Hemisphere, and a third of speices occurring in Australia. At time of writing, there are 145 described species, although many species, especially in South America remain undescribed.⁶

Of tribe Trypoxylini, Tasmania officially has four Pison species (P. spinolae, P. rufipes, P. simulans, and P. westwoodii) and one species of Aulacophilinus (A. calligonosum). Pison is distinguished from Aulacophilinus by the mandibles being apically slender instead of apically broad.⁷

Members of this genus Pison, raise their young spiders that have been collected and paralysed by the adult female wasps, who then lay an egg on the spider, before sealing them into the nest chamber. Upon hatching, the wasp larva eats the spider, before pupating and emerging as an adult from the nesting chamber.

Many Pison species construct large mud nests, often in sheltered locations such as caves, overhanging cliff-face rocks or tree hollows. Other species create their nesting chambers in cavities such as hollow plant stems, beetle burrows, or abandoned bird nests, whilst some species dig their own nesting tunnels.

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• Scientific classification
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Arthropoda
• Subphylum: Hexapoda
• Class: Insecta
• Informal: Pterygotes
• Order: Hymenoptera
• Superfamily: Apoidea
• Informal: Spheciformes
• Family: Crabronidae
• Subfamily: Crabroninae
• Genus: Pison

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CrabronidaePison

InsectsBees Beetles Blattodea Butterflies Coleoptera Cicada Crabronidae Diptera Dragonflies & Damselflies Formicidae Hemiptera Heteroptera (True Bugs) Mango Planthopper Moths Orthoptera Orthopteroid Processionary Caterpillar Stink Bugs, Shield Bugs and Allies Syrphidae Wasps Water Scorpion (Laccotrephes tristis) Witchetty Grub