Orange & Black Hopping Wasp Profile | Metallic-blue Chalcid Wasp Dorsal, Wings Closed | |||||
Class: | Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta) | ||||
Order: | Ant Bee Wasps (Hymenoptera) | ||||
Family: | Parasitic Wasp (Wasp: Chalcidoidea: Leucospidae) iNaturalist Observation | ||||
Species: | Metallic-blue Chalcid Wasp (Leucospis sp) | ||||
This Photo: | 🔍Dorsal, Wings Open, Ovi-positor🔎 | ||||
Other name: | Chalcidiod Wasp | ||||
Thank you Dan Blamey (HeadSoup) for confirming the id of this species for us General Species Information: Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere 1st Record of this genus in SA on Atlas: 2 females were found together ~8mm & ~9mm, a visibly noticable size difference. The following year a 3rd was found closer to 10mm. Superficially look like potter wasps, but with thick abdomens; which are similar to sawflies. Very large rear legs, so a Chalcidid Wasp Notice how generally they hold their wings vertically; normally a diagnostic for Vespidae potter wasps. But vespidae "fold" their wings, note here their wings are "rolled". A subtle but important difference. The most obvious charactieristic on close examination is the ovi-positor laying flat along the TOP of the abdomen! It even has a little parking pozzy on the thick waist to protect it. This is the sheath, they still inject their prey from underneath. It's covered in thick, white hairs/setae; including it's eyes. Is also covered in punctuations and has a blue-metallic sheen everywhere the orange splashes aren't. We haven't found this colour pattern anywhere on-line. Others in the genus do tend to be a mix of orange & black/blue.The ocelli & rear leg spines are diagnostic to separate species. Also noticed some spines eminating from the rear of the thorax. | |||||
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