Subgenus
Fernaldina
Sphex lucae. Photo: (c) Damon Tighe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Wasps of the genus Sphex (commonly known as digger wasps) are cosmopolitan predators that sting and paralyze prey insects. Sphex is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (sensu lato), though most apart from the Sphecinae have now been moved to the family Crabronidae. There are over 130 known Sphex species.