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) 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 Ants Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris radula) Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris tasmaniensis)
The genus Sphex are commonly known as Digger Wasps. The Sphex specimen pictured here was found deceased (with a missing antennae) in a swimming pool in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. When we retrieved it from the water, it was quite dark, almost black with white markings and hairs.
The Sphex genus are a cosmopolitan group of wasps that sting and paralyze their prey insects. Sphex is one of many genera in the old digger wasp family Sphecidae (sensu lato – in the broad sense), though most apart from the Sphecinae have now been moved to the family Crabronidae.
Our specimen has now been ID to species Sphex corporosus, a member of Thread-waisted Wasps Family Sphecidae.3
Check out our Fauna > Insects > Wasps.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
- Class: Insecta
- Informal: Pterygotes
- Order: Hymenoptera
- Superfamily: Apoidea
- Informal: Spheciformes
- Family: Sphecidae
- Subfamily: Sphecinae
- Genus: Sphex
- Species: Sphex corporosus
Footnote & References
- Many thanks to Kimberi Pullen for ID, member of Entomology Australia “Invertebratology”, https://www.facebook.com/groups/507004496955277/
- Many thanks to Iskander Kaliananda and Dane Jensen for ID, member of Australian Polistinae and other Hymenoptera, https://www.facebook.com/groups/188453645581988
- Sphex corporosus, ausemade, iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations/253996021
- Sphex corporosus Dörfel & Ohl, 2015, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Sphex corporosus
- Sphex Linnaeus, 1758, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Sphex
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 Ants Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris radula) Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris tasmaniensis)
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