Alice Springs Fauna •
Cryptocheilus bicolor / Heterodontonyx bicolorPrey (Neosparassus sp)
Belonging to the family Pompilidae, the Orange Spider Wasp (Cryptocheilus bicolor) is a large spider wasp that hunts for spiders. They are known to prey on huntsman spiders (family Sparassidae) and wolf spiders (Lycosidae).
The female are sizeable, up to 35 mm in length. They have a black thorax and eyes, with the black extending down to the abdomen. The abdomen has two broad orange bands. The head, legs and antenna are orange and the species have orange-brown coloured wings.
The Orange Spider Wasp (formerly known as Heterodontonyx bicolor, then named Cryptocheilus bicolor, has now changed back and is now recognised as Heterodontonyx bicolor). The two genera Cryptocheilus and Heterodontonyx can be distinguished by the shape of the marginal cell in the forewing, which is distally pointed in Heterodontonyx but rounded in Cryptocheilus.
It was a brief observation, watching this Orange Spider Wasp flying from one yukka plant to another. It was rapid in its movement, walking quickly along the leaves, doing short hops from one leaf to another, obviously searching for spiders, that once were prolific around the yukkas. This may explain the gradual disappearance of the spiders, such as the Golden Orb-weavers and Long-jawed Orb Weavers… food for the Orange Spider Wasp larvae.
The following is possibly a younger Heterodontonyx bicolor, being slightly smaller and appeared to possibly have some wing damage, in the way it was moving around.
See more information and images here:
- Olive Pink Botanic Garden Orange Spider Wasp
- Finke Gorge National Park Orange Spider Wasp
- Cryptocheilus bicolor
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthopoda
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
- Class: Insecta
- Subclass: Pterygota
- Order: Hymenoptera
- Suborder: Apocrita
- Infraorder: Aculeata
- Superfamily: Pompiloidea
- Family: Pompilidae
- Subfamily: Pepsinae
- Tribe: Pepsini
- Genus: Heterodontonyx
- Species: Heterodontonyx bicolor
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthopoda
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
- Class: Insecta
- Subclass: Pterygota
- Order: Hymenoptera
- Suborder: Apocrita
- Infraorder: Aculeata
- Superfamily: Pompiloidea
- Family: Pompilidae
- Subfamily: Pepsinae
- Tribe: Pepsini
- Genus: Cryptocheilus
- Species: Cryptocheilus bicolor (Inactive Taxon)
Footnote & References
- Orange Spider Wasp Cryptocheilus bicolor Inactive Taxon, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/198790-Cryptocheilus-bicolor / Orange Spider Wasp (Heterodontonyx bicolor), https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/1635762-Heterodontonyx-bicolor, iNaturalistAU
Cryptocheilus bicolor / Heterodontonyx bicolorPrey (Neosparassus sp)
Alice Springs WaspsAbispa ephippium Agriomyia maculata Bembicinae Bethylidae Blue Hairy Flower Wasp Cryptocheilus Cryptocheilus bicolor / Heterodontonyx bicolor Delta latreillei Delta philantes Eumeninae Fabriogenia sp Liris (Wasp) Mutillidae Mud Nests and Potter Wasps Orchid Dupe Wasp Paralastor (Potter Wasp) Pison Pseudabispa bicolor ssp. nigrocinctoides Sceliphron laetum Sphex (Wasp) Tachytes sp Thynnid Flower Wasps Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris radula) Velvet Ants 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 Apple Bush Bougainvillea 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 Inland River Red Gum Kalanchoe pinnata Kurrajong Lemon-flowered Gum MacDonnell’s Desert Fuchsia Native Bluebell Native Tomato Needlewood Olive Tree Perennial Yellow Top Rat’s Tail River Red Gum Woolly Cloak-Fern (Cheilanthes lasiophylla) 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
