Batozonellus


Batozonellus a genus of the spider hunting wasps.

Description

The species of the genus Batozonellus range from large to very large. Body is black and yellow. The compound eyes are large. Clypeus is short and broad. The wings are yellow. The tip of the forewing has a brownish band. The pterostigma is quite small. The tibiae have long spines. The females dig their nests in the ground and supply larvae with spiders of the family Araneidae.

Species

The species in the genus are:
Some species formerly placed within the genus Batozonellus have been assigned to the genus Parabatozonus by some authorities, including the type species of the genus, Batozonellus fuliginosus. If this classification is to be followed then a new type species will have to be designated for Batozonellus. The species reclassified under Parabatozonus are:
These wasps can be found in most of Europe. They colonize predominantly open habitats and forest edges. Under newer studies the genus Batozonellus sensu stricto is found only in Africa and Australia, and Parabatozonus is found in Europe, Asia and Africa.