Alice Springs Fauna •

Alice Springs WaspsAbispa ephippium Agriomyia maculata Bembicinae Bethylidae Blue Hairy Flower Wasp Cryptocheilus Cryptocheilus bicolor Delta latreillei Delta philantes Eumeninae Liris (Wasp) 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)

The Blue Hairy Flower Wasp are a dark looking wasp, with smoky black colour wings that have a blue sheen. They are also known as the Black Flower Wasp and belong to the genus Austroscolia, family Scoliidae.

The wing veins of the wasp do not reach the end of the wings, and they have thick antennae. These wasps grow up to 3 cm in length and the adult wasp feed on nectar. The female Blue Hairy Flower Wasp lay her eggs on larval beetles.

Pictured here is thought to be the species Austroscolia nitida and was photographed next to a fish pond in Alice Springs (Central Australia), Northern Territory.

Blue Hairy Flower Wasp (family Scoliidae, genus Austroscolia), Alice Springs NT
Blue Hairy Flower Wasp (Austroscolia nitida, family Scoliidae), Alice Springs NT

There are currently 3 recognised species in the genus Austroscolia (listed below). Both Austroscolia nitida and Austroscolia soror are very similar in appearance.

With thanks to Matthew Connor1, 2, 3, it is highly likely that this is Austroscolia nitida, being completely blue-black.

Austroscolia soror is described by Museums Victoria4 as being

Wings with distinctive, metallic, blue-purple sheen; veins reaching the margin of the wing. Body black with short antennae. Adult approximately 2.5-3 cm.

Museums Victoria
Blue Hairy Flower Wasp (family Scoliidae, genus Austroscolia), Alice Springs NT
Blue Hairy Flower Wasp (Austroscolia nitida, family Scoliidae), Alice Springs NT
Blue Hairy Flower Wasp (family Scoliidae, genus Austroscolia), Alice Springs NT
Blue Hairy Flower Wasp (Austroscolia nitida, family Scoliidae), Alice Springs NT
Blue Hairy Flower Wasp (family Scoliidae, genus Austroscolia), Alice Springs NT
Blue Hairy Flower Wasp (Austroscolia nitida, family Scoliidae), Alice Springs NT

  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Subphylum: Hexapoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Informal: Pterygotes
  • Order: Hymenoptera
  • Superfamily: Vespoidea
  • Family: Scoliidae
  • Genus: Austroscolia
  • Species:
    • Austroscolia commixta Turner, 1909
    • Austroscolia nitida (Smith, 1858)
    • Austroscolia soror (Smith, 1855)

Footnote & References

  1. Many thanks for ID to Matthew Connors and Cath McInnes, members of Entomology Australia “Invertebratology” Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/507004496955277/
  2. Impact of obscure external species records on IDing abundant species, iNatForum, https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/impact-of-obscure-external-species-records-on-iding-abundant-species/30558/10
  3. Austroscolia nitida varifrons (Cameron, 1905), Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Austroscolia nitida varifrons
  4. Austroscolia soror (Smith, 1855), Hairy Flower Wasp, Museums Victoria, https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/species/8108
  5. Austroscolia Betrem, 1927, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Austroscolia
  6. Austroscolia soror (Smith, 1855), Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Austroscolia soror

Alice Springs WaspsAbispa ephippium Agriomyia maculata Bembicinae Bethylidae Blue Hairy Flower Wasp Cryptocheilus Cryptocheilus bicolor Delta latreillei Delta philantes Eumeninae Liris (Wasp) 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