{{Short description|Genus of wasps}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Sceliphron spirifex TZ edit1.jpg | image_caption = ''Sceliphron spirifex'' in Tanzania | display_parents = 2 | taxon = Sceliphron | authority = Klug, 1801 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = {{center|33 extant + 1 extinct species}} | synonyms_ref=<ref name=Pulawski/> | synonyms = ''Pelopoeus'' <small>Latreille, 1802</small> }} '''''Sceliphron''''', also known as '''black-and-yellow mud dauber wasps''' or '''black mud-dauber wasps''', is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps. They are solitary mud daubers and build nests made of mud.
As is the case with many insect genera, there are many tropical species.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} Some common temperate species include ''S. caementarium''<ref name=UMich/> and ''S. curvatum''.<ref name=Ćetković2011/>
==Taxonomy and phylogeny== ''Sceliphron'' was divided into the subgenera ''S. (Sceliphron)'' and ''S. (Prosceliphron)'' by van der Vecht and van Breugel. They further divided the nominate subgenus into two species groups: the ''S. madraspatanum'' species-group and the ''S. spirifex'' species-group.<ref name=VanDerVecht1968/> However, due to ''Prosceliphron'' <small>van der Vecht, 1968</small> being a junior homonym of ''Prosceliphron'' <small>Frenguelli, 1946</small>, Pagliano and Scaramozzino established the replacement name ''S. (Hensenia)''.<ref name=HuyPham2016/>
The subgenus ''S. (Sceliphron)'' builds nests that have with multiple cells covered in a secondary layer of mud while the subgenus ''S. (Hensenia)'' builds single-cell nests lacking a secondary layer of mud.<ref name=Hensen1987/>
== Behavior== Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, often just inside of windows or vent openings, and it may take a female only a day to construct a cell requiring dozens of trips carrying mud. Females will add new cells one by one to the nest after each cell is provisioned. They provision these nests with spiders, such as crab spiders, orb-weaver spiders and jumping spiders in particular, as food for the developing larvae. Each mud cell contains one egg and is provided with several prey items. Females of some species lay a modest average of 15 eggs over their whole lifespan.<ref name=Tardigrade/> Various parasites attack these nests, including several species of cuckoo wasps, primarily by sneaking into the nest while the resident mud dauber is out foraging.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
Like other solitary wasps, ''Sceliphron'' species are not aggressive unless threatened.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} They are sometimes regarded as beneficial due to their control of spider populations,<ref name=Pezzi1998/> though the spiders themselves may be beneficial in controlling pest insects.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} Species such as ''Sceliphron curvatum'' are invasive in some parts of Europe, where they have been observed to rapidly increase their range in recent years.<ref name=Ćetković2004/>
==Species== There are 33 valid living species of ''Sceliphron''.<ref name=VanDerVecht1968/><ref name=Hensen1987/><ref name=HuyPham2016/><ref name=Pulawski/><!--- Though also included in the count by Pulawski, the author notes it as currently being incertae sedis. ---> {{div col| colwidth = 25em}} ===Subgenus ''Sceliphron (Hensenia)'' <small>Pagliano & Scaramozzino, 1990</small>=== * ''Sceliphron coromandelicum'' <small>(Lepeletier, 1845)</small> * ''Sceliphron curvatum'' <small>(Smith, 1870)</small> – Asia, Europe since 1970s * ''Sceliphron deforme'' <small>(F. Smith, 1856)</small>; Asia, reported from Europe in 2004 * ''Sceliphron fervens'' <small>(F. Smith, 1858)</small> * ''Sceliphron formosum'' <small>(F. Smith, 1856)</small> - Australia * ''Sceliphron funestum'' <small>Kohl, 1918</small> * ''Sceliphron murarium'' <small>(F. Smith, 1863)</small> * ''Sceliphron neobilineatum'' <small>Jha & Farooqi, 1995</small> * ''Sceliphron rectum'' <small>Kohl, 1918</small> * ''Sceliphron rufopictum'' <small>(F. Smith, 1856)</small> * ''Sceliphron shestakovi'' <small>Gussakovskij, 1928</small> * ''Sceliphron unifasciatum'' <small>(F. Smith, 1860)</small>
===Subgenus ''Sceliphron (Sceliphron)'' <small>Klug, 1801</small>=== * ''Sceliphron isaaci'' <small>Jha and Farooqi, 1995</small> * ''Sceliphron paraintrudens'' <small>Jha & Farooqi, 1995</small> * ''Sceliphron seistaniensis'' <small>Jha and Farooqi, 1995</small>
====''Sceliphron madraspatanum'' species-group==== * ''Sceliphron argentifrons'' <small>(Cresson, 1916)</small> * ''Sceliphron asiaticum'' <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> - Neotropics * ''Sceliphron assimile'' <small>(Dahlbom, 1843)</small> – Texas, Mexico and Caribbean islands * ''Sceliphron caementarium'' <small>(Drury, 1773)</small> – North America, established in Europe and Pacific islands by the 1970s * ''Sceliphron fasciatum'' <small>(Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1845)</small> * ''Sceliphron fossuliferum'' <small>(Gribodo, 1895)</small> * ''Sceliphron intrudens'' <small>(F. Smith, 1858)</small> * ''Sceliphron jamaicense'' <small>Fabricius, 1775</small> - Mexico, Caribbean islands * ''Sceliphron madraspatanum'' <small>(Fabricius, 1781)</small> - Mediterranean * ''Sceliphron quartinae'' <small>(Gribodo, 1884)</small>
====''Sceliphron spirifex'' species-group==== * ''Sceliphron arabs'' <small>(Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1845)</small> * ''Sceliphron destillatorium'' <small>(Illiger, 1807)</small> - southern Palaearctic * ''Sceliphron fistularium'' <small>(Dahlbom, 1843)</small> - Neotropics * ''Sceliphron fuscum'' <small>Klug, 1801</small> * ''Sceliphron javanum'' <small>Lepeletier, 1845</small> * ''Sceliphron laetum'' <small>(F. Smith, 1856)</small>; Australia * ''Sceliphron pietschmanni'' <small>Kohl, 1918</small> * ''Sceliphron spirifex'' <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> - Africa, southern Europe {{div col end}}
==Extinct species== There is one described fossil species of ''Sceliphron'':<ref name=Pulawski/> * ''Sceliphron tertiarium'' <small>Meunier, 1915</small>
==Gallery== <gallery> Sceliphron coromandelicum (18006415).jpg|''S. (Hensenia) coromandelicum'' in India. Sceliphron Curvatum in Greece.png|''S. (Hensenia) curvatum'' in Greece. Sceliphron deforme (533814505).jpg|''S. (Hensenia) deforme atripes'' in Russia. Sceliphron deforme (118883884).jpg|''S. (Hensenia) deforme deforme'' in Hong Kong. Sceliphron fervens (609463237).jpg|''S. (Hensenia) fervens'' in Thailand. Mud wasp with mud (15767398593) (cropped).jpg|''S. (Hensenia) formosum'' in Australia. Sceliphron argentifrons (289078189).jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) argentifrons'' in Cuba. Potter Wasp (Sceliphron asiaticum) (38616369975).jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) asiaticum asiaticum'' in French Guiana. Sceliphron asiaticum chilense (251729217).jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) asiaticum chilense'' in Chile. Sceliphron assimile (520109109).jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) assimile'' in Mexico. Sceliphron caementarium P1300773b.jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) caementarium'' in Oklahoma. EL MALO - THE BAD (Avispa alfarera - Black-and-yellow Mud Dauber - Sceliphron destillatorium) (2595714007).jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) destillatorium'' in Spain. Sceliphron fuscum (261057701).jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) fuscum'' in Madagascar. Sceliphron fasciatum (542399283).jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) fasciatum'' in the Dominican Republic. Sceliphron fistularium , collecting mud for her nest (41976478535).jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) fistularium'' in Panama. Sceliphron jamaicense lucae (592899668).jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) jamaicense lucae'' in Mexico. Sceliphron javanum 259669855.jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) javanum'' in Sumatra, Indonesia. Sceliphron javanum nalandicum 242747028.jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) javanum nalandicum'' in India. Mud-dauber Wasp - sceliphron laetum.jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) laetum'' in Australia. Black and Yellow mud dauber.jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) madraspatanum conspicillatum'' in the Philippines. Sceliphron madraspatanum kohli.jpeg|''S. (Sceliphron) madraspatanum kohli'' in Japan. Sceliphron 8900.jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) madraspatanum madraspatanum'' in India. Sceliphron madraspatanum pictum - 2017-02-26.png|''S. (Sceliphron) madraspatanum pictum'' in the UAE. Sceliphron madraspatanum. Mud dauber wasp (43008797380).jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) madraspatanum tubifex'' in Albania. Sceliphron spirifex TZ edit1.jpg|''S. (Sceliphron) spirifex'' in Tanzania </gallery>
==See also== * Blue mud-dauber wasps (''Chalybion'') * Organ pipe mud dauber (''Trypoxylon politum'')
==References== {{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=Tardigrade> {{Cite web|title=The Black & Yellow Mud Dauber|url=https://crawford.tardigrade.net/bugs/BugofMonth22.html|access-date=2020-06-06|website=crawford.tardigrade.net}} </ref>
<ref name=Ćetković2004> {{Cite journal | doi = 10.1111/j.1479-8298.2004.00067.x | volume = 7 | issue = 3 | pages = 225–229 | last = Ćetković | first = Aleksandar |author2=Ivica Radović |author3=Ljiljana Ðorović | title = Further evidence of the Asian mud-daubing wasps in Europe (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) | journal = Entomological Science | year = 2004}} </ref>
<ref name=Pulawski> {{Cite web | accessdate = 2026-05-19 | title = ''Sceliphron'' | website = Catalog of Sphecidae | last1 = Pulawski | first1 = Wojciech J. | date = 16 May 2026 | publisher = California Academy of Sciences | url = https://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/entomology/Entomology_Resources/Hymenoptera/sphecidae/genera/Sceliphron.pdf}} </ref>
<ref name=Hensen1987> {{cite journal |last=Hensen |first=R.V. |date=1987 |title=Revision of the subgenus ''Prosceliphron'' Van der Vecht (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae) |journal=Tijdschrift voor Entomologie |volume=129 |pages=217-261 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/69311 |access-date=2025-05-18}} </ref>
<ref name=HuyPham2016> {{cite journal |last=Huy Pham |first=Phong |date=2016 |title=Taxonomic notes on the genus ''Sceliphron'' Klug (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) from northern Vietnam, with description of a new species |journal=Turkish Journal of Zoology |volume=40 |issue=5 |pages=686-690 |doi=10.3906/zoo-1511-18 |doi-access=free}} </ref>
<ref name=VanDerVecht1968> {{cite journal |last1=van der Vecht |first1= Jacobus |last2=van Breugel |first2=F.M.A. |date=1968 |title=Revision of the nominate subgenus ''Sceliphron'' Latreille (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae) (Studies on the Sceliphronini, part I) |journal= Tijdschrift Voor Entomologie |volume=111 |issue=6 |pages=185-255}} </ref>
<ref name=Ćetković2011> {{cite journal |last1=Ćetković |first1=Aleksandar |last2=Mokrousov |first2=Mikhail V. |last3=Plećaš |first3=Milan |last4=Bogusch |first4=Petr |last5=Antić |first5=Dragan |last6=Đorović-Jovanović|first6=Ljiljana |last7=Krpo-Ćetković |first7=Jasmina |last8=Karaman |first8=Marko |date=2011 |title=Status of the potentially invasive asian species ''Sceliphron deforme'' in Europe, and an update on the distribution of ''S. curvatum'' (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220013257 |journal=Acta entomologica serbica |volume=16 |issue= |pages=91-114 |doi= |access-date=2026-05-18}} </ref>
<ref name=UMich> {{cite web |last= O'Brien |first=Mark F. |date= 1997 |title=''Sceliphron caementarium'' |url= http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/sphecidwasps/Sceliphron.html |website=The Sphecid Wasps of Michigan (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Sphecinae) |location= Ann Arbor |publisher=University of Michigan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980209115413/http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/sphecidwasps/Sceliphron.html |archive-date=1998-02-09}} </ref>
<ref name=Pezzi1998> {{cite journal |last=Pezzi |first=Giorgio |date=1998 |title=Observations on the biology of ''Sceliphron spirifex'' (Linnaeus, 1758) in Romagna |url=https://www.ssnr.it/10-7.pdf |journal= Quaderno di studi e notizie di storia naturale della Romagna |volume=10 |issue= |language=it |pages=71-75 |access-date=2026-05-19}} </ref>
}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Sceliphron}} {{NIE Poster|year=1905|Mud-Wasp|Sceliphron}} * [http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Sphecidae Online guide to eastern North American Sphecidae] Documents how to differentiate ''Sceliphron caementarium'' from other Sphecids
__NOTOC__ {{Taxonbar|from=Q139681}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Sphecidae Category:Apoidea genera Category:Taxa named by Johann Christoph Friedrich Klug