Two-coloured Orange Spider Wasp
S4, Male, Wing Venation
Ellura
Two-coloured Orange Spider Wasp
S2, Female, Face
 
                      
Two-coloured Orange Spider Wasp (Cryptocheilus bicolor)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Ant Bee Wasps (Hymenoptera)
Family: Tarantula-hawk Wasp (Wasp: Pompilidae: Pepsini)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Two-coloured Orange Spider Wasp (Cryptocheilus bicolor)
This Photo:     S1, Female, Face
Synonym: Heterodontonyx bicolor

Thank you Brian Dagley, Kerri-Lee Harris & Sam Gordon for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), the Adelaide Hills and elsewhere
Males were ~18 to ~21mm long, Females ~30mm long, ~50mm wingspan. The genders can be separated by the number of antenna flagellomeres. Males have 11 flagellomeres & Females have 10. As such, we can also suggest males are significantly smaller than females. We've also noticed the 2 males had a thick black band across the top of the head; unlike the 2 females.
There are few trusted images of Cryptocheilus sp.
Assuming the bands on the abdomen are one of the diagnostic traits of this genera, C bicolor has quite a thick black abdomen band; and is fairly hairy.
Cryptocheilus sp wing tips seem to often have black edges, which are missing here. Possibly due to the wings being so worn. S4, male, didn't have any damage to it's black wing tips & was the smallest of all 4.

Copyright © 2018-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 04-Jan-2018
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.