Alice Springs Fauna •

Alice Springs Wasps >

The Bethylidae are a family of aculeate wasps, in the superfamily Chrysidoidea, commonly known as the Flat Wasps.

This family of wasps, ranges between parasitoid wasps and hunting wasps. Like most of the Chrysidoidea, the genus Bethylidae are stinging Hymenoptera, most being parasitoids. Some of them, however, have developed their parasitoidal biology along predatory lines and they sting and malaxate their victims into paralysis. Then they hide the prey and lay their eggs on them.

Bethylidae (Flat Wasp), Alice Springs NT
Bethylidae (Flat Wasp), Alice Springs NT
Bethylidae (Flat Wasp), Alice Springs NT
Bethylidae (Flat Wasp), Alice Springs NT
Bethylidae (Flat Wasp), Alice Springs NT
Bethylidae (Flat Wasp), Alice Springs NT
Bethylidae (Flat Wasp), Alice Springs NT
Bethylidae (Flat Wasp – rescued from swimming pool, Alice Springs NT
Bethylidae (Flat Wasp), Alice Springs NT
Bethylidae (Flat Wasp – rescued from swimming pool, Alice Springs NT
Bethylidae (Flat Wasp), Alice Springs NT
Bethylidae (Flat Wasp – rescued from swimming pool, Alice Springs NT

  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Subphylum: Hexapoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Informal: Pterygotes
  • Order: Hymenoptera
  • Superfamily: Chrysidoidea
  • Family: Bethylidae
  • Subfamily:
    • Bethylinae
    • Epyrinae
    • Mesitiinae
    • Pristocerinae

Footnote & References

  1. Many thanks to Ken Walker for ID, member of Australian Polistinae and other Hymenoptera, Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/188453645581988/
  2. Bethylidae, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/BETHYLIDAE
  3. Flat Wasps (Family Bethylidae), iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/203283-Bethylidae

Alice Springs WaspsAbispa ephippium Agriomyia maculata Bembicinae Bethylidae Blue Hairy Flower Wasp Cryptocheilus Cryptocheilus bicolor Delta latreillei Delta philantes Eumeninae Liris (Wasp) Mutillidae Mud Nests and Potter Wasps Orchid Dupe Wasp Paralastor (Potter Wasp) Pison Pseudabispa bicolor ssp. nigrocinctoides Sceliphron laetum Sphex (Wasp) Thynnid Flower Wasps Velvet Ant Family (Tribe Dasymutillini) Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris radula) Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris tasmaniensis)

Alice Springs FaunaAlice Springs Native Bees Alice Springs Beetles Alice Springs Birds Alice Springs Gastropods (Gastropoda) Alice Springs Insects Alice Springs Marsupials Alice Springs Reptiles Alice Springs Spiders

Alice Springs FloraAlice Springs Flora Index Acacia ligulata Annual Yellowtop Bougainvillea Apple Bush Burdekin Plum Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqa) Cattle Bush Desert Cotton (Aerva javanica) Desert Oak Eremophila Wildberry Feijoa sellowiana Flannel Cudweed Fork-leaf Corkwood Ghost Gum Golden Everlasting Kurrajong Lemon-flowered Gum MacDonnell’s Desert Fuchsia Native Bluebell Native Tomato Needlewood Olive Tree Perennial Yellow Top Rat’s Tail River Red Gum Inland River Red Gum Rosy Dock Round-leaved Mallee Scurvy Grass Silky Eremophila Stemodia viscosa Striped Mintbush Sturt’s Desert Pea Sturt’s Desert Rose Tangled Leschenaultia Tar Vine Weeping Bottlebrush White Cedar Yellow Billybutton Yellow-keeled Swainsona Yellow Oleander