Pison is a cosmopolitan genus of wasps within the family Crabronidae. The genus comprises 145 described species, although many species, especially in South America remain undescribed.Bohart, Richard Mitchell, and Arnold S. Menke. Sphecid wasps of the world: a generic revision. University of California Press, 1976.
Distribution The genus is found throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world, but does not extend into the more northerly temperate regions. Most species occur in the Southern Hemisphere, with a third of species occurring in Australia. This distribution pattern has been thought to indicate that the genus was once much larger, and has declined in the face of competition with more competitive wasp genera, leaving the genus largely concentrated in geographically-isolated regions.Turner, Rowland E. "29. Notes On The Wasps Of The Genus Pison, And Some Allied Genera." Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. Vol. 86. No. 4. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 1916.
The habit of many species of building nests in holes in wood, keyholes, and similar situations has led to a number of species being distributed widely by ships and aircraft. Several species, including P. argentatum and P. iridipenne are of uncertain native distribution, having been dispersed by humans in antiquity.
Biology Pison wasps raise their young on a diet of living, but paralysed, spiders. Spiders are collected by adult females, paralysed by means of a sting, and an egg is laid on the spider or spiders before they are sealed into a chamber constructed by the female. The paralysed spiders do not decay, and upon hatching the wasp larva eats the spider, before pupating and emerging from the chamber as an adult.
While many species construct large mud nests in sheltered situations such as caves or tree hollows, other species make use of natural cavities such as hollow plant stems, beetle burrows, or abandoned bird nests, while still others dig their own nesting tunnels. Typically, multiple spiders-and-egg cells will be placed adjacent to one another in a larger nesting structure. Each cell is sealed off from adjoining eggs with mud or dung pellets. This sealing off of the young from each other is probably done to prevent competition and ensure that each young obtains sufficient food.
Species and other subtaxa At one time the genus Pison was divided into the subgenera Pison, Pisonoides, Krombeiniellum, and Entomopison. These were later discarded in favor of species groups including (for the Americas):
Conforme Fritzi Eremnon Delicatum Agile Stangei Krombeini Euryops Cressoni Chilense Convexifrons Pilosum
Accepted species The following species are accepted :
†Pison antiquum Antropov and Puławski, 1996 Pison argentatum Shuckard, 1838 Pison ashmeadi R.Turner, 1916 Pison assimile Sickmann, 1894 Pison atripenne , 1938 Pison atrum (Spinola) 1808 Pison auratum Shuckard, 1838 Pison aureosericeum Rohwer, 1915 Pison aurifex F. Smith, 1869 Pison auriventre R.Turner, 1908 Pison baguione Tsuneki, 1983 Pison barbatum Evans, 1981 Pison basale F. Smith, 1869 Pison biroi Tsuneki, 1983 Pison bismarckianum Tsuneki, 1982 Pison brasilium Menke, 1988 Pison browni (Ashmead), 1905 Pison cameronii Kohl, 1893 Pison carinatum R.Turner, 1917 Pison chilense Spinola, 1851 Pison chrysops Menke, 1988 Pison chrysoptilum Antropov, 1994 Pison ciliatum Evans, 1981 †Pison cockerellae Rohwer, 1908 Pison collare Kohl, 1884 Pison conforme F. Smith, 1869 Pison congener R.Turner, 1916 Pison cressoni Rohwer, 1911 Pison decipiens F. Smith, 1869 Pison delicatum Menke, 1988 Pison dementia Menke, 1988 Pison denticeps Cameron, 1910 Pison deperditum R.Turner, 1917 Pison differens R.Turner, 1916 Pison difficile Turner, 1908 Pison dimidiatum F. Smith, 1869 Pison dives R.Turner, 1916 Pison doggonum Menke, 1988 Pison duckei Menke, 1968 †Pison electrum Antropov and Puławski, 1989 †Pison eocenicum Nel, 2005 Pison erebus Menke, 1988 Pison eremnon Menke, 1968 Pison erimaense Tsuneki, 1983 Pison erythrocerum Kohl, 1885 Pison erythrogastrum Rohwer, 1915 Pison erythropus Kohl, 1884 Pison esakii , 1937 Pison eu Menke, 1988 Pison euryops Menke, 1988 Pison exclusum R.Turner, 1916 Pison exornatum R.Turner, 1916 Pison exultans R.Turner, 1916 Pison eyvae Menke, 1988 Pison fasciatum (Radoszkowski) 1876 Pison fenestratum F. Smith, 1869 Pison festivum F. Smith, 1869 Pison fraterculus R.Turner, 1916 Pison fritzi Menke, 1988 Pison fuscipenne F. Smith, 1869 Pison glabrum Kohl, 1908 †Pison glyptum Zhang, 1989 Pison hahadzimaense Tsuneki, 1984 Pison hissaricum , 1937 Pison hospes F. Smith, 1879 Pison huonense Tsuneki, 1983 Pison icarioides Turner, 1908 Pison ignavum R.Turner, 1908 Pison impunctatum R.Turner, 1912 Pison inaequale R.Turner, 1916 Pison inconspicuum R.Turner, 1916 Pison infumatum R.Turner, 1908 Pison insigne Sickmann, 1894 Pison insulare F. Smith, 1869 Pison iridipenne F. Smith, 1879 Pison irramulus T. Li and Q. Li, 2011 Pison Kohlii Bingham, 1897 Pison koreense (Radoszkowski) 1887 Pison korrorense , 1937 Pison krombeini Menke, 1968 Pison laeve F. Smith, 1856 Pison larsoni Menke, 1988 Pison lillo Menke, 1988 Pison liupanshanense T. Li and Q. Li, 2011 Pison lobiferum Arnold, 1945 Pison lutescens R.Turner, 1916 Pison maculipenne F. Smith, 1860 Pison maculipenne F. Smith, 1873 Pison marginatum F. Smith, 1856 Pison mariannense , 1953 Pison martini Menke, 1988 Pison melanocephalum R.Turner, 1908 †Pison menkei Bennett and Engel, 2008 Pison meridionale R.Turner, 1916 Pison mimicum Arnold, 1945 Pison morosum F. Smith, 1856 Pison multistrigatum R.Turner, 1917 Pison neotropicum Menke, 1968 Pison nigellum Krombein, 1949 Pison ningyuenfuense Antropov, 1994 Pison nitidum F. Smith, 1859 Pison noctulum R.Turner, 1908 Pison nogorombu Puławski, 1989 Pison nosferatu Menke, 1988 Pison novabritanicae Tsuneki, 1982 Pison novaguineanum Tsuneki, 1983 Pison novocaledonicum Krombein, 1949 Pison nozakae Tsuneki, 1983 Pison oakleyi Krombein, 1949 Pison obesum Arnold, 1958 Pison obliquum F. Smith, 1856 Pison obliteratum F. Smith, 1858 †Pison oligocenum Cockerell in Rohwer, 1908 Pison orientale Cameron, 1897 Pison pallidipalpe F. Smith, 1863 Pison papuanum W. Schulz, 1905 Pison pasteelsi Leclercq, 1965 Pison peletieri , 1841 Pison pentafasciatum Menke, 1988 Pison perplexum F. Smith, 1856 Pison pertinax R.Turner, 1908 Pison petularum Leclercq, 1965 Pison phthinylla Menke, 1988 Pison pistillum Menke, 1988 Pison plaumanni Menke, 1968 Pison ponape Krombein, 1949 Pison pregustum Leclercq, 1965 Pison premunitum Leclercq, 1965 Pison priscum R.Turner, 1916 Pison pulawskii Antropov, 1994 Pison pulchrinum R.Turner, 1916 Pison punctifrons Shuckard, 1838 Pison punctulatum Kohl, 1884 Pison regale F. Smith, 1852 Pison repentinum Arnold, 1940 Pison rothneyi Cameron, 1897 Pison rufipes Shuckard, 1838 Pison rufitarse Arnold, 1944 Pison rugosum F. Smith, 1856 Pison sarawakense Cameron, 1903 Pison scabrum R.Turner, 1908 Pison scruposum Arnold, 1955 Pison separatum F. Smith, 1869 Pison sericeum Kohl, 1888 Pison seyrigi Arnold, 1945 Pison simillimum F. Smith, 1869 Pison simulans R.Turner, 1915 Pison sogdianum , 1937 Pison speculare R.Turner, 1911 Pison spinolae Shuckard, 1838 Pison stangei Menke, 1968 Pison strandi , 1935 Pison strenuum R.Turner, 1916 Pison strictifrons Vachal, 1907 Pison strigulosum R.Turner, 1917 Pison susanae Cheesman, 1955 Pison sylphe Menke, 1988 Pison tahitense de Saussure, 1867 Pison tenebrosum R.Turner, 1908 Pison testaceipes R.Turner, 1916 Pison tibiale F. Smith, 1869 Pison tosawai , 1935 Pison transvaalense Cameron, 1910 Pison transversistriatum Simon Thomas, 1993 Pison trukense , 1953 Pison ugandense Arnold, 1955 Pison vechti Antropov, 1994 Pison vestitum F. Smith, 1856 Pison virosum R.Turner, 1908 Pison wagneri Arnold, 1932 Pison westwoodii Shuckard, 1838 Pison woji Menke, 1988 Pison wollastoni R.Turner, 1916 Pison xanthopus (Brullé) 1833
Pison nomina nuda The following are not officially described and have nomen nudum status: Pison aurifer de Saussure Pison punctatus Ashmead
Species previously in Pison These species have been transferred from Pison to other genera:
Entomopison alini Antropov, 1996 Pisonopsis areolatum Spinola, 1851 Entomopison aureofaciale Strand, 1910 Aulacophilinus caliginosus R.Turner, 1908 Entomopison convexifrons Taschenberg, 1870 Entomopison cooperi Menke, 1988 Scapheutes flavopictum F. Smith, 1860 Entomopison gnythos Menke, 1988 Scapheutes laetum F. Smith, 1860 Entomopison longicorne Menke, 1988 Aulacophilinus mandibulatum R.Turner, 1916 Trypoxylonvaripes nasutum Tsuneki Entomopison oaxaca Menke, 1988 Bothynostethus paraense Spinola, 1851 Entomopison pilosum F. Smith, 1873 Aulacophilinus pyrrhicum Naumann, 1990 Trypoxylon sapporoense Tsuneki Entomopison sphaerophallus Menke, 1988 Pisonopsis variicornis Reed, 1894 Entomopison vincenti Menke, 1988 Entomopison wasbaueri Menke, 1988 Aulacophilinus weiri Naumann, 1990
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