Species diversity of solitary predator wasps of Spheciformes (Hym.: Apoidea) in south counties of Kerman province, Iran

Investigation of species biodiversity of parasitoid and predatory wasps in different habitats is one of the principles of pest management. In the present survey, species diversity of Spheciformes (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) was investigated in south areas counties of Kerman (Southeast of Iran). Sampling was done during March to September 2017 from 12 regions in 6 counties: Jiroft, Bam, AnbarAbad, Kahnuj, Qaleh-Ganj and Manujan with Malaise traps. All obtained specimens were identified to species level and also the number of each species per sample were counted. A total of 36 Species belonging to 17 genera are listed in this paper. Species biodiversity were analyzed by the SDR software. The results of indices of Shanon Winer species diversity and Pielou J Evenness showed that Bam county with 20 species has the highest diversity and evenness, followed by Jiroft and Kahnuj. Among all identified species, Gastrosericus funereus with 202 specimens (23.76%), Sphex flavipennis with 156 specimens (17.58%), and Bembix bidentata with 76 specimens (8.5%) have the most abundance, respectively. Besides eight species were determined as sporadic species in studied areas. The diversity and abundance of Spheciformes wasps is highest between early May and mid-July in the studied areas. This highlights the importance of considering Spheciformes wasps impact during pest management activities.