Tarantula hawk

Tarantula hawk hanging around waiting for the Tarantula's to start getting active this summer.

comments (2)

morpheme

Lion

Got to drill it down a bit further to the species level - it may not be possible, as there are 300 species many of which cannot be ID'd from a photo alone… but you may be able to narrow it down by using the area where it was found. Start here http://bugguide.net/node/view/3919 If you are sure it's a tarantula hawk specifically you can start more narrow with the pepsis and hemipepsis genus. Posted 10 years ago

WildFlower

Lion

Because of the plain black colour and wing venation it looks like a Hemipepsis, most likely Hemipepsis ustulata.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/703332 Posted 10 years ago, modified 10 years ago

The Flamed Tarantula-hawk Wasp

''Hemipepsis ustulata'' is a species of tarantula hawk native to the Southwestern United States. Tarantula hawks are a large, conspicuous family of long legged wasps which prey on tarantulas. They use their long legs to grapple with their tarantula prey before paralyzing them with a powerful sting. Their stings are ranked second most painful in the insect world.

Info 3 0

Similar species: Wasps, Bees, Sawflies And Ants

Species identified by WildFlower