About Sphex funerarius Gussakovskij, 1934
Sphex funerarius reaches a body length of 15–23 millimetres (0.59–0.91 in). These are large, solitary, ground-nesting wasps. Their bodies are black, with a large orange-red band on the anterior section of the abdomen. Fine, thin hair covers the head and body. The wings are yellowish, and the tips of the front wings are darkened. This species occurs in southern and central Europe, and ranges eastward into Central Asia. Larvae of Sphex funerarius feed on living insects that adult females paralyze and transport to an underground nest. Female digger wasps of this species store multiple grasshoppers in a single nest. They dig a corridor 15 centimetres long that contains multiple brood chambers; each chamber holds one prey item and a single wasp egg. Prey is typically made up of orthopteran insects, especially nymphs of locusts or katydids. Eggs hatch after three to four days, and larvae finish developing 18 days after hatching. Adult wasps fly during July and August, and they feed on flower nectar from plant families including Apiaceae and Euphorbiaceae.
