Sphex lucae (Wildlife and Wildflowers of Texas - Insects)

Sphex lucae

Summary ⁷

Sphex lucae is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae.

Identification ⁸

(1) Males are black, including the abdomen. Females have a red abdomen, dark or orange wings and tarsal-rake spines on the forelegs.
(2) 20mm to 28mm (0.78" to 1.10"). A tiny waist connects the black head and thorax of the female Sphex lucae to its red-orange abdomen. The narrow waist is as wide as a thread or hair, which boggles the mind, but the physiology works. Males are completely black. Wings have an orange tint when spread open.

Behavior / Life Cycle ⁸

(2) Females use their legs, spiked with hairs, to pulls loose soil or sand up as they dig burrows into the ground. This burrow becomes a nest for fertilized eggs where cells are filled with immobilized caterpillars and katydids, awaiting larval consumption. This species of wasp may be alone or in the company of others like it. It can be social despite being considered a solitary type of wasp. If a nest is disturbed when a female is near, or the wasp is threatened, it can sting. Generally, though, nests are built away from areas with high foot-traffic so aggressive encounters do not seem common.

Sources ⁸

(1) https://bugguide.net/node/view/118010
(2) https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.php?identification=Thread-Waisted-Wasp-Sphex-Lucae

Fontes e Créditos

(c) dloarie, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY), uploaded by dloarie, http://www.flickr.com/photos/57556735@N08/5903541486
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY), uploaded by Ken-ichi Ueda
(c) Tony Iwane, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Iwane
(c) Damon Tighe, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Damon Tighe
(c) Greg Lasley, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Greg Lasley
(c) edwardrooks, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC), uploaded by edwardrooks
Adaptado por Justin Foucart de uma obra de (c) Wikipedia, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphex_lucae
(c) Justin Foucart, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA)