Episyron Schiodte 1837

GenusEpisyronSchiødte, 1837 Episyron Schiødte, 1837: 341. Type species: Sphex rufipes Linnaeus, 1758, monotype, by original designation. Epizuron Ashmead, 1902: 82. Subsequent misspelling of Episyron Schiødte, 1837. Spilopompilus Ashmead, 1902: 81. Type species: Pompilus “ biguttulatus ” Fabricius, 1798 (subsequent misspelling of Pompilus biguttatus Fabricius, 1798), by original designation. Junior subjective synonym of Episyron Schiødte, 1837 according to Wahis 1986: 28. Generic diagnosis. Body black, many species exhibiting whitish or yellowish markings on pronotum and mesosoma, legs partly or wholly rufous. In both sexes, dense brown, gray or bluish white lanceolate scales largely covering pronotum, scutellum, metanotum, mesopleura, metapleura, propodeum, hind coxa dorsally and metasomal tergum 1. Mandible with two teeth on inner margin in female, one in male. Clypeus large, malar space short or practically absent (Figs 1 B, 2 B, 3 B, 4 B, 5 B, 6 B, 7 B, 8 B, 9 B, 10 B, 11 B, 12 B, 13 B, 14 B). Antennae in general rather elongate, but in some males shorter. Legs strongly spinose, fore tibiae of females with a few spines and fore metatarsus with a strong comb; all claws bifid in both sexes, inner ray close to outer ray and more or less truncate; apical segment of fore tarsus unmodified, parallel – sided (Figs 1 F, 3 F, 4 F, 6 F, 8 F, 9 F, 11 F, 13 F). Fore wing with three submarginal cells, SMC 2 long, SMC 3 short (Figs 1 E, 3 E, 4 E, 5 E, 6 E, 7 E, 8 E, 9 E, 10 E, 11 E, 12 E, 13 E, 14 E) (Evans 1950, 1966; Kim 2022; Anju et al. 2024). Biology. Members of the genus Episyron are small to medium-sized predatory and parasitic wasps that prey on orb-weaver spiders (Araneidae). When hunting, the female wasp first stings and paralyzes the prey, then transports it back to the ground or carries it in flight to the vicinity of its nest, ultimately dragging the prey into the burrow (Kurczewski and Kurczewski 1973; Kurczewski and Spofford 1986; Kurczewski 2001). Adults also have the habit of visiting flowers and males are considered potential pollinators. Episyron species prefer open environments with sandy soils and are often found around watercourses (Wasbauer and Kimsey 1985). They typically nest in the soil, constructing short, sloping burrows. Their movements during flight and nesting are highly agile (Evans 1950, 1997; Wasbauer and Kimsey 1985). Distribution. All major zoogeographic regions. Key to the species of the genus Episyron Schiødte, 1837 from China Females Males (males are unknown for E. immaculatus Song & Ma, sp. nov., E. latimarginatus Tsuneki, 1989, and E. rufotibialis Tsuneki, 1989)