Chrysis angolensis - cuckoo wasp

This must be one of the prettiest wasp types of all. I occasionally find this species on a bit of waste scrub ground, but it is incredibly difficult to get near for a photograph. This is the best I have been able to do so far.

Called cuckoo wasps because the crawl into another wasps species nest to lay its eggs. It doesn’t always get away with this plan, but evolution has given the wasp a dimple covered case which helps to stop the stings from sliding to the edge of the plate, were they will slip inside and kill the wasp.

Location is Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Scrubland alongside a stream.