Ammophila procera

Geographic Range

Ammophila procera , a species of sand wasp, can be found across a wide range in the Nearctic region, including the southern areas of Canada and the entire United States.

• Biogeographic Regions
• nearctic nearctic
  • native native

Habitat

Ammophila procera lives in open areas such as plains or beaches. Since these wasps are known for digging, soft soils are ideal habitats for their burrows. They inhabit areas that have this soft soil, such as beaches, prairies, and sand dunes. As nectar is a significant portion of their diet, suitable habitats must have flowers for collecting nectar in close proximity to the burrows.

• Habitat Regions
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• desert or dune desert or dune
• savanna or grassland savanna or grassland
• mountains mountains

Physical Description

The most apparent feature of Ammophila procera is the abdomen, which is long, slender, and black with a central red-orange band. It has a sleek, black thorax with accenting silver bars. These silver bars allow researchers to discern Ammophila procera from close relatives. Ammophila procera can reach up to 35 mm in length, with females longer in length than males. Females average 29 mm, while males average 22 mm in length, and females may also have a larger wingspan. This species has elongated antenna with 13 segments. Their wings are mostly clear with black venation. Many local variations in coloration have been described. This includes local variants where male color is primarily black, areas in the eastern United States to the Rocky Mountains with various degrees of reddening, and populations from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast where the red segments are broken up with black spots. Females also may have more red coloration than males.

• Other Physical Features
• ectothermic ectothermic
• heterothermic heterothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry
• venomous venomous

• Sexual Dimorphism
• female larger

Development

After mating, Ammophila procera females dig burrows in soft sediment and then lay a single egg on top of a caterpillar or other insect within the burrow. Ammophila procera only supplies its burrow with food once, as opposed to other wasp species that will continually stock the burrow and then reseal the entrance. When the egg hatches, the larva feeds on the insect the female has collected. The larva matures and then pupates within the burrow. Upon reaching adulthood, Ammophila procera leaves the burrow with fully developed wings.

• Development - Life Cycle
• metamorphosis metamorphosis

Reproduction

Mating habits of Ammophila procera can be aggressive. A male wasp will use his mandibles to grasp behind the female's head while holding onto her body with his legs. Typically, the male mates with the female while she is collecting nectar. Ammophila procera is polygynandrous, with both males and females mating multiple times with different mates throughout their adult lives.

• Mating System
• polygynandrous (promiscuous) polygynandrous (promiscuous)

After mating, females of Ammophila procera dig a burrow, and supply the burrow with a paralyzed insect, usually a caterpillar. Only one caterpillar and a single egg have been observed per burrow, though one female usually creates multiple burrows to increase the chances of offspring survival. The 3.5 mm egg is then laid on the side of the paralyzed caterpillar within the burrow. The female seals the egg into the burrow, and eggs generally hatch within two days. The larva will consume nearly the entire caterpillar during the 5 day development period. There is some evidence that the wasps will steal burrows and provisions of other Ammophila females. Reproductive behavior in Ammophila procera is determined by resource availability and temperature. Ammophila procera reproduces more frequently when resources are high and weather is warm. If there is a lower amount of nectar, females will not reproduce as many times. Colder weather in early fall will also lead to decreased reproduction and fewer offspring.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• fertilization fertilization
  • internal internal
• oviparous oviparous

Most of the parental involvement in Ammophila procera is undertaken by the female. Before oviposition, she digs a burrow where the young will develop. Females hunt and provision their burrows with soft-bodied invertebrates, such as caterpillars, and can capture and carry caterpillars that exceed their own mass. The female lays a single egg in the burrow with the paralyzed insect, and then seals the egg safely into the burrow with dirt and debris. The female will start a new burrow and repeat the process. There is no further parental care, as larvae are left on their own to develop, relying on the insect provided for their food source.

• Parental Investment
• female parental care female parental care
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • female
• pre-independence
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

While the exact lifespan for this species is not reported, a key factor in the lifespan of Ammophila procera is the region where it lives. This wasp inhabits a large assortment of climates and a wide range of potential habitats. Where the climate is harsher, the lifespan of A. procera will be shortened. Wasps living in higher latitudes have harsher winters than those living in closer proximity to the equator, which affects their ability to find food and provision burrows.

Behavior

Ammophila procera has many notable behaviors. This wasp is timid and if threatened, it will first attempt to flee from danger. When the wasp is not able to flee, it can administer a painful, venomous sting. The sting is not used primarily for protection, but as a tool in everyday life. The wasp's venom acts as a paralyzing agent, which allows females to harvest caterpillars and other small, soft-bodied invertebrates. After paralyzing the insect, the female will fly with it to one of her burrows. After a burrow has been dug, stocked, and the egg laid, the female will seal the burrow entrance. To seal the burrow, the female will put rocks, twigs, and other small materials in the entrance to keep predators out and prevent the escape of prey. When these burrows are left by the mother, other females may steal the burrow and the provisions. This is accomplished by unsealing the burrow and replacing the egg with their own.

• Key Behaviors
• flies
• diurnal diurnal
• parasite parasite
• motile motile
• solitary solitary

Home Range

Little is known about the home range of Ammophila procera .

Communication and Perception

Female wasps of Ammophila procera have been noted to make a chirping noise. This action is not completely understood, but researchers believe that these calls may involve attracting a mate. It is thought that a female will start to chirp when she is ready for mating, but little research has been done on communication in this species. Wasps visually view their environment, and can also detect UV light.

• Communication Channels
• acoustic acoustic

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• ultraviolet
• acoustic acoustic

Food Habits

Food habits of Ammophila procera are dependent on the stage of development. Larvae feed on soft-bodied invertebrates, typically Lepidoptera larvae, though they also feed on other insects, terrestrial arthropods, and terrestrial worms. After the wasps have matured into adults, they then feed primarily on nectar.

• Primary Diet
• herbivore herbivore
  • nectarivore nectarivore

• Animal Foods
• insects
• terrestrial non-insect arthropods
• terrestrial worms

• Plant Foods
• nectar
• pollen

Predation

Birds will prey on these wasps. They are also preyed upon by Hemipterans, such as Red bee-eater assassin bugs . These assassin bugs are known to prey upon Ammophila by camouflaging themselves and then attacking unwary wasps. The venomous sting of Ammophila procera , while not used primarily for protection, can be used as defense against predators. Their contrasting bright red and black color patterns likely function as aposematic warning coloration.

• Anti-predator Adaptations
• aposematic aposematic

Ecosystem Roles

Ammophila procera is a significant parasitoid of soft-bodied invertebrates, particularly Lepidoptera larvae, as it catches these insects and places them in burrows for its offspring to feed upon. Some of the most commonly harvested caterpillars include rough prominent moths , variable oakleaf caterpillars , false unicorn caterpillars , and Symmerista moths. Ammophila procera serves as prey to birds and other insects, and a fly species, Senotainia vigilans , has been observed parasitizing the wasp burrows.

Wasps of the genus Ammophila play a crucial role in sandy beach habitats. Their burrows help with nutrient cycling and also keep the sand and vegetation in place and aerate the soils. Ammophila procera is also a pollinator of many different plant species.

• Ecosystem Impact
• pollinates
• soil aeration soil aeration
• parasite parasite

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Ammophila procera benefits humans by keeping beaches in stationary positions through soil aeration, and pollinating plants. Ammophila procera does not specialize on a specific plant, but is seen in high volumes on high nectar flowers, such as rabbitbrush. They also attack caterpillars, some of which may be pest species.

• Positive Impacts
• pollinates crops
• controls pest population

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

When disturbed or threatened, these wasps will sting humans.

• Negative Impacts
• injures humans
  • bites or stings

Conservation Status

Ammophila procera populations are not recognized as threatened or endangered. One of the biggest threats to these wasps are humans, who will destroy the wasps nests and kill the wasps.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

BioKIDS Critter Catalog

Contributors

Chase Pickett (author), University of Wyoming, Hayley Lanier (editor), University of Wyoming - Casper, Angela Miner (editor), Animal Diversity Web Staff.

References

Brockmann, J. 1985. Tool use in digger wasps ( Hymenoptera : Sphecinae ). A Journal of Entomology , 92: 309-330.

Duffield, , Shamim, Wheeler, Menke. 1981. Alkylpyrazines in the mandibular gland secretions of Ammophila wasps ( Hymenoptera : Sphecidae ). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Comparative Biochemistry , Volume 70, Issue 2: 317–318.

Evans, H. 1959. Observations on the nesting behavior of digger wasps of the genus Ammophila . American Midland Naturalist , 62/2: 449-473.

Field, J., M. Ohl, M. Kennedy. 2011. A molecular phylogeny for digger wasps in the tribe Ammophilini ( Hymenoptera , Apoidea , Sphecidae ). Systematic Entomology , 36/4: 732–740.

Field, J. 1989. Intraspecific parasitism and nesting success in the solitary wasp Ammophila sabulosa . Behaviour , 110/1/4: 23-46.

Tucker, E., I. Montie, S. Droege. 2013. "Draft guide to the Sphecidae of North America, east of the Mississippi River" (On-line). Discover Life. Accessed December 12, 2013 at http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Sphecidae .

Watson, J. 2011. "Thread Waisted Wasps" (On-line). Critters 360. Accessed November 08, 2013 at http://www.critters360.com/index.php/thread-waisted-wasps-6183/ .

Wong, J., J. Meunier, M. Kölliker. 2013. The evolution of parental care in insects: the roles of ecology, life history and the social environment. Ecological Entomology , 38/2: 123–137.

2011. "Species Ammophila procera " (On-line). Bugguide. Accessed November 08, 2013 at http://bugguide.net/node/view/11119 .