potter and mason wasps

Euodynerus is a genus of potter and mason wasps. There are at least 117 Euodynerus species worldwide, 26 species in North America north of Mexico, and at least 6 species in Minnesota.

Euodynerus are solitary wasps. Some females nest in hollow twigs, others in burrows in the ground. All species provision the nest with butterfly or moth caterpillars.

Euodynerus are larger wasps, usually more than ⅜″ (9 mm) long. The body is black with well-developed yellow or ivory (pale) markings, and sometimes also with rust-colored markings, on both the front (mesonotum) and rear (metanotum) parts of the body.

There is a pale spot at the base of each jaw (mandible). There is also a pale spot behind each eye, and it is usually small. On the male, the antennae have 13 segments and they are hooked at the end. On the female the antennae have just 12 segments and they are not hooked at the end.

On the pronotum there is a raised ridge (transverse carina) on the front margin. The front face of the pronotum does not have two pits in the middle. On the first segment of the abdomen (propodeum), fused to the thorax on all wasps, the rear corners are angled. The propodeum is short, not petiole-like. It is no more than 1.4 times longer than wide, and it is at least 0.7 times as wide as the second segment.

On the rear part of the body there is always a pale stripe on the rear margin of the first segment (tergite) and almost always another on the second tergite. The first tergite does not have a transverse carina.

Sources

4, 24, 27, 29, 30, 82.

This genus has no common name. The common name of the Subfamily Eumeninae is potter and mason wasps, and it is used here for convenience.