# Beautiful Wasp!



## Elmolax (Jun 27, 2009)

Too abd I have no idea what it is!
I found it under a wheel barrow, it's been dead for a very long time, way past season. I have not seen a wasp like this here in El Paso ever I think, besides this point sometime last fall where a great deal of magnificently colored black based insects (grasshoppers, moths, flies) but they dissapeared quickly.

It's the most beautiful cobalt blue ever.
The wasp itself is hollowed, from being long dead. But it's still in tact, it's abdomen/stinger area catches and traps sunlight, almost totally clear. I mean, the blue is just amazing! And the wasp is quite large. It's sort of incandescent.
Does anyone have any idea's on what this is?
Here are my photos, unfortunately the camera I have is of low quality, so I tried to get the photos as close to how it looks in person with photoshop.
Enjoy 












I just haven't the slightest clue what it is.
I've never heard of blue wasps like these in these parts.
And any google searches comes up with wasps with less abdominal segments (this guy has 5), the wings are way different (although it has 4, it's more dragonfly like thank waspy, or they aren't even supposed to be anywhere around here.


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## Talkenlate04 (Jun 27, 2009)

I do believe that is a Amisega floridensis a type of parasitic wasp.
That is cool looking I love the colors!


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## Elmolax (Jun 27, 2009)

thanks for the response! 
i wish you could only see it in it's personal glory, it even has these shades of emerald in it. It's almost like a jewel to me at this point xD

Would you happen to know where I could get information on this wasp?
google searches come up with only size, name, and one very repetitive and famous nikon photo


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## What (Jun 27, 2009)

How about Pepsis sp.? 

Not sure where Ryan is getting that ID... :? Especially considering Amisega are small and have large bulbous leg segments...


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## Elmolax (Jun 27, 2009)

Pepsis seems more correct here.
Copied from"http://www.insectworld.com/item.aspx?_token=HHozZQzRhVi1FmlbdXswF1msYgEzOiPJGSgeH0GQ0uEK%2BIm2jjwNtg%3D%3D"

Antennae: navy-blue black. Head, thorax and legs: Navy blue. Wings: Variable: translucent amber-orange. They capture, sting, and paralyze the spider (usually a female), then they either drag the spider back into her own burrow or transport their prey to a specially prepared nest where a single egg is laid on the spider’s body, and the entrance is covered. The wasp larva, upon hatching, feeds on the still-living spider.

it also says they're from arizona, that's not that far away from here, I wouldn't be surprised to find them here, especially because we have a plenty of T's these suckers can eat xD This wasp was a good 1 1/2 - 2 inches big too.


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## Jmugleston (Jun 27, 2009)

Amisega sp. is a chrysidid if I remembero correctly. This is a pompillid as mentioned in the previous post. So I'm going with Pepsis sp. The Pepsis sp. out here are what commonly are referred to as tarantula hawks. Pompillidae is the family that includes the wasps that sting a spider and lay their egg in the paralyzed host. Here is a species for the SW deserts:







I have a few more pics of the smaller species dragging paralyzed spiders around.


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## Elmolax (Jun 27, 2009)

Jmugleston said:


> Amisega sp. is a chrysidid if I remembero correctly. This is a pompillid as mentioned in the previous post. So I'm going with Pepsis sp. The Pepsis sp. out here are what commonly are referred to as tarantula hawks. Pompillidae is the family that includes the wasps that sting a spider and lay their egg in the paralyzed host. Here is a species for the SW deserts:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


looks like a 100% match, just some wear and tear from death and all 

Thank you all for the help


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## Talkenlate04 (Jun 27, 2009)

Elmolax said:


> Pepsis seems more correct here.
> Copied from"http://www.insectworld.com/item.aspx?_token=HHozZQzRhVi1FmlbdXswF1msYgEzOiPJGSgeH0GQ0uEK%2BIm2jjwNtg%3D%3D"
> 
> Antennae: navy-blue black. Head, thorax and legs: Navy blue. Wings: Variable: translucent amber-orange. They capture, sting, and paralyze the spider (usually a female), then they either drag the spider back into her own burrow or transport their prey to a specially prepared nest where a single egg is laid on the spider’s body, and the entrance is covered. The wasp larva, upon hatching, feeds on the still-living spider.
> ...


Ya I remember seeing those in AZ growing up. Shoulda though of that.


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## Jmugleston (Jun 27, 2009)

As you go further south (and the T hosts get larger) the wasps get larger. (Those in South America are supposed to be huge). We chased a few large tarantula hawks in South Africa earlier this year too. (Different genus, but similar look).
Here are a couple smaller American species with their unlucky "babysitter":


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## Talkenlate04 (Jun 27, 2009)

(Sigh) Why can't we have anything cool like that up here in Oregon?


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## Elmolax (Jun 27, 2009)

perhaps you're just not looking ahrd enough? ;P
I'm still really pumped over this guy xD
Do they do most of their hunting in the day?


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## Jmugleston (Jun 27, 2009)

From what I've seen they are active during the day. They catch the spiders for reproductive purposes only. They are herbivorous once adults.


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## Talkenlate04 (Jun 27, 2009)

Elmolax said:


> perhaps you're just not looking ahrd enough? ;P
> I'm still really pumped over this guy xD
> Do they do most of their hunting in the day?


Oh no I don't have to look, there really is not much to look for here in Oregon.   I have to move lol.


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## bhoeschcod (Jun 28, 2009)

Deffinatly a tarantula hawk wasp!


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