Asian Horntail Wasp (Eriotremex formosanus) ♀

ADVENTIVE/INTRODUCED. Wasp with long abdomen with a projecting abdominal spike.

Feeds on the deadwood of hickory, sweet gum, and other trees.

Siricid wasps have abdominal dorsal projections called "horns." Both males and females have horns, however, females additionally have an ovipositor within a sheath which is placed ventrally within the abdomen.

Siricid larvae require a relationship with saprophytic fungi in order to digest wood. It is a complex symbiotic interaction between the wasp, the fungi, and the tree (which I may later detail here once I understand it better)!