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am. Bembex nest in sandy banks, dig their own tunnels, keep open door
and feed the young often, unlike other wasps or insects- Prey on Dipterous
larvae. Gregarious, broad head, large eyes, flattened thorax, legs stout,
spiny, abdomen broad, massive, no petiole. Black or reddish, yellow
marking, 1,. 18-25 mm. Philanthus. Head wider than thorax, thorax ovate,
legs stout spiny. Abdomen with 1st segment narrow at base, Mimic bees,
visit flowers with them and hunt them down. Nest in narrow tunnels in
sandy banks. P. basalis. yellowish white lines and spots on body. L. 12
mm. P. pulcherrimus, carries hive bees and others to its nest. Cerceris.
Head as w ide as thorax, broad, triangular space below thorax with
convergent furrows. Legs stout, spiny. Abdomen oblong joining thorax by
narrow 1st Segment. Black or brownish, spots and bands on abdomen, in
some species parts of abdomen red. L. 7-10 mm. Only C. vigilans.
.12- 15 mm. Oxybelusi spp. Peculiar spines on post scutellum, Barrow in
soil, prey on Diptera. Head and thorax of equal width, petiole thin,
abdomen conical, short and broad, hmd legs spiny. Black and whitish, L.
7-9 mm. Crabro. Big roundish head, a triangular enclosed space at thorax,
legs short, stout, spiny. Abdomen oval, joined to thorax by a thinnish
segment. Construct burrows in soil, in rotten wood or plant stems. Usually
prey on Diptera but others are not spared. Black, silvery hair on face,
yellow markings on body. L, 5-9 mm.
Fam. Apidae (Now super family Apoidae). Includes bees, social or
solitary. Fam. Colletidae not represented in Maharashtra. Apidae of
Bingham (Fauna Br. Ind.) split into 5 families, only 4 in India. Thousands
described, about 400 in India, a good number in Maharashtra. Adults help
pollination. Most carry a pollen basket, a few which do not, stay as guests
in other colonies. Both adult and larvae feed on pollen, flower nectar,
larvae fed by workers. Lead social life like ants and termites. New families
shown in brackets.
(Fam, Halictidae) Live in tunnels in soil, fertilized females survive
winter, produce brood next season which takes charge of the colony. H,
FAUNA 472