Abdomen, color | Abdomen, the thin petiole length compared to remainder of abdomen | Genera Shortcuts | Head, antennal sockets location in relation to compound eyes | Head, clypeus apical rim shape, edge closest to mandibles | Head, mandible, number of “teeth” along the inside edge, NOT counting the tip | Head, scape, primary color | Legs, front and middle, tarsal claw, location of teeth along inside curve | Legs, front and middle, tarsal claws, number of teeth along edge not counting the tip | Legs, tibia, rear most pair, color | State or province where wasp was collected | Thorax, scutum and scutellum, presence of yellow or white markings on surface - Do not confuse with hair color | Wing, dimensions of second submarginal cell

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Number scored for a state is in green.
1. Genera Shortcuts

15Ammophila    2Chalybion    5Isodontia    4Podalonia    2Podium    4Prionyx    7Sphex    3Other Genera   
2. State or province where wasp was collected

34AL    14AR    14CO    26CT    25DC    30DE    36FL    35GA    15IA    31IL    32IN    15KS    29KY    12LA    23MA    30MD    18ME    29MI    16MN    14MO    32MS    14MT    34NC    15ND    16NE    20NH    30NJ    14NM    28NY    12New Brunswick    11Newfoundland and Labrador    12Nova Scotia    28OH    16OK    22Ontario    31PA    11Prince Edward Island    18Quebec    24RI    34SC    16SD    32TN    17TX    29VA    20VT    26WI    26WV    14Wy   
3. Head, clypeus apical rim shape, edge closest to mandibles

1Coming to an obvious and acute point in the center    25Completely round and smooth    33Presence of a single central notch, indentation, or emargination - Careful, can be very small    8Presence of indentations symmetrically on either side of center of clypeus    3With more than 3 small knobs projecting from the rim    2With three closely spaced small knobs projecting from the center,   






4. Abdomen, color

31Both yellow, amber, orange, or red and black    17Completely black, but may have slight metallic purple or green reflections or an oil-like iridescent sheen    10Dark blue or purple with obvious and strong metallic reflections    6Entirely pale, varies from amber to red    10Green with obvious and strong metallic reflections   





5. Head, scape, primary color

39Dark - brown to black - may be a small amount of amber near the top    2Green, purple, or blue with strong metallic reflections    7Pale - yellow to amber   



6. Head, antennal sockets location in relation to compound eyes

9Above the midway point    17Below the midway point    20Even with the midway point   
7. Head, mandible, number of “teeth” along the inside edge, NOT counting the tip

71. Simple - without teeth    132, One Tooth    103. Two teeth    24. Three teeth   




8. Legs, tibia, rear most pair, color

30Black or dark brown    10Orange or yellow    2Part black and part yellow    2Purple or blue with metallic reflections   




9. Legs, front and middle, tarsal claws, number of teeth along edge not counting the tip

4More than two    9One    14Two    41Zero   




10. Legs, front and middle, tarsal claw, location of teeth along inside curve

20Near or at the base of the tarsal claw, often right where the long setae first emerge    9Roughly in the middle of the tarsal claw, between the tip and the point where long setae emerge   


11. Abdomen, the thin petiole length compared to remainder of abdomen

22Length of petiole equal    19Length of petiole greater    26Length of petiole less   



12. Thorax, scutum and scutellum, presence of yellow or white markings on surface - Do not confuse with hair color

40No pale coloration on scutum or scutellum    4Presence of a pattern with pale coloration   


13. Wing, dimensions of second submarginal cell

35Height and width of cell approximately equal    33Height of cell greater than width    31Height of cell less than width