it has two tear drop markings on it’s back…

Author Gary Taylor ◦

So it turns out my new Bembix is likely an entirely new undiscovered species… Cool, but they were crap photos focus wise (my camera isn’t great with moving targets), so I went back out today to have another crack at her.

Saw her straight up, well thought I did… hang on, this one is different, it has two tear drop markings on it’s back…

Ok, so maybe not tear drop, more likely the wasp equivalent of a hot rod flame paint job up each side of the bonnet highlighting the bug catcher on the blower poking out middle… (these wasps are seriously fast, I wouldn’t be surprised if those markings were originally just dots 😆), anyway, makes me think this one is the male 🙂.

Super cool, Bembix taylori 😅 both male and female…

Photographs Midwest WA © Gary Taylor

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Colin
Are you trying to corner the market in “taylori” 😀 Euhesma “taylori”

Gary
Colin haha, yeah I was gonna ask Ken what the etiquette was with naming new species and how many times you can put your name to something new before your peers think you’re a w⚓️ 😅

Ken
Gary The naming etiquette is fairly loose except of course the name cannot be rude, inappropriate or blasphemous. The main rule is that you cannot name a new species after yourself. The second rule is to Latinise the name. For males that means adding “i” to the end and if female then adding “ae” after the name. There is another convention not really adhered to much that if the last letter of the male name ends in a consonant then add “ii” instead of “i”. There are some wonderful unconventional names out there. There is an Australian wasp named by an American called Aha ha. The story goes that he received a box of unnamed Australian wasps and he opened the box and saw a specimen he immediately recognised it as a new genus and species and said “Aha” so that’s what he called the genus. The species name was “ha” so “Aha ha”. Here are some other “interesting” names: Weirdest species names

Gary
Cheers Ken!

Colin
Aaahhh… Gary, you will have to change your surname to something like Tinker… that way you can name it Taylori 😃 or maybe “Taylori a-ha”… but we might get confused with that Norwegian pop-group… 😀

Gary
Only if it’s also a new genus Colin, then I could name it Tinker Taylor soldierspi 😄 But I might name it lupyae, after my dingo Lupy, whom waits so patiently as I stand there taking pics… 🙂

Gary
So up until then I’m using the “Tin Dog Creek” philosophy Colin, it’s gotta be called something… 😅

Iskander
I didn’t wanna say that it might not be Bembix, cus it don’t really look like the traditional Bembix I see about. I don’t know didly about that group so …

Gary
Iskander nah it don’t bro, thats kinda why I posted it..

Colin
Interesting to know that Bembix sp are variable in colour… I found this link to an orange Bembix in WA… https://www.flickr.com/photos/jean_hort/50880290193

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say hello to Bembix lupiae > it has two tear drop markings on it’s back…

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Check out more blogs and contribution by Gary Taylor.

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