Pepsis thisbe

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Pepsis thisbe
Pepsis thisbe, Baja California
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Pompilidae
Subfamily: Pepsinae
Genus: Pepsis
Species:
P. thisbe
Binomial name
Pepsis thisbe
Lucas, 1895

Pepsis thisbe, also known as Thisbe's tarantula-hawk wasp,[1] is a species of spider wasp in the family Pompilidae.[2][3] Females are 32-44 mm long with a dark blue body and orange wings.[4]

Description

The females of this species sport curly antennae, while the males' are straight. Males do not have stingers and females have ones about 7mm (¼ inch) in length. Adults are nectavores (feeding on flower material), but females hunt tarantulas as food for larvae, hence their name. They're found throughout the American Southwest in desert areas.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Thisbe's Tarantula-hawk Wasp (Pepsis thisbe)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  2. ^ "Pepsis thisbe". GBIF. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  3. ^ "Pepsis thisbe species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  4. ^ Will, Kip; Gross, Joyce; Rubinoff, Daniel; Powell, Jerry A. (2020). Field Guide to California Insects. Oakland, California: University of California Press. p. 454. ISBN 9780520288744.
  5. ^ "Tarantula Hawk (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-14.

Further reading

  • Vardy, C. R. (2005). "The New World tarantula-hawk wasp genus Pepsis Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)". Zoologische Verhandelingen.

External links