Wasps > Wasps Index
There are hundreds of thousands of species of wasps in the world, with Australia being home to many thousands of native wasp species, plus a few introduced and feral species. Many species of wasps are solitary, whilst other live in social groups. With so many species of wasps, they come in a variety of colours, distinctive shapes and sizes, and some with unusual common names such as the Velvet Ants.
Check out some of the genus/species listed, and come back as we add more over time… “what a wonderful world… we live in…”
WaspsWasps Index Australian Large Wasps Australian Mud Nest Wasps Mud Wasp Velvet Ants Abispa ephippium Acarozumia amaliae Aulacidae Australodynerus Bembix Bembicinae Bethylidae Blue Hairy Flower Wasp Braconidae Chrysididae Cryptocheilus Delta latreillei (Potter Wasp) Delta philantes Eumeninae Euodynerus aspra Ferreola handschini (Orange-collared Spider Wasp) Flower Wasps Gasteruptiid Wasp Hairy Flower Wasps Isodontia (Grass-carrying Wasp) Lissopimpla excelsa (Orchid Dupe Wasp) Mutillidae Orange Wasps Paralastor sp. Pseudabispa bicolor ssp. nigrocinctoides Radumeris radula (Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp) Radumeris tasmaniensis (Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp) Rhynchium superbum Sceliphron laetum Sphex Thynnid Wasps Tiphiidae Torymus Yellow and Black Wasp
Like native bees, they play a critical role in the environment. Whilst some wasps feed on nectar (aiding in plant pollination), equally as important are those whose roles are as predators and parasites, whose larvae feed on caterpillars, spiders, and many other insects.





















- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Informal: Pterygotes
- Order: Hymenoptera
Footnote & References
- Wasp Photos and Identification, Aussie Bee, https://www.aussiebee.com.au/wasp-photos.html
- What Wasp is that? An Interactive Identification Guide to the Australasian Families of Hymenoptera, by Nicholas B. Stevens, Claire J. Stephens, Muhammad Iqbal, John T. Jennings, John LaSalle, and Andrew D. Austin, Lucidcentral.org, https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/what_wasp_is_that/key/What%20wasp%20is%20that/Media/Html/Hymenoptera%20key/FrontPage.htm
- Wasp, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp (last visited Dec. 11, 2021)
- Wasp Week, 20 May 2021, Author Kerri-Lee Harris, https://southernforestlife.net/happenings/category/Wasps
- Sand wasp puzzles: part 1, Species identification, Wasps, Author Kerri-Lee Harris, 15 February 2023, https://southernforestlife.net/happenings/2023/sandwasp-puzzles1
- Know your wasps, Atlas of Life, https://atlasoflife.org.au/resources/know-your-wasps
Wasps > Wasps Index
WaspsWasps Index Australian Large Wasps Australian Mud Nest Wasps Mud Wasp Velvet Ants Abispa ephippium Acarozumia amaliae Aulacidae Australodynerus Bembix Bembicinae Bethylidae Blue Hairy Flower Wasp Braconidae Chrysididae Cryptocheilus Delta latreillei (Potter Wasp) Delta philantes Eumeninae Euodynerus aspra Ferreola handschini (Orange-collared Spider Wasp) Flower Wasps Gasteruptiid Wasp Hairy Flower Wasps Isodontia (Grass-carrying Wasp) Lissopimpla excelsa (Orchid Dupe Wasp) Mutillidae Orange Wasps Paralastor sp. Pseudabispa bicolor ssp. nigrocinctoides Radumeris radula (Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp) Radumeris tasmaniensis (Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp) Rhynchium superbum Sceliphron laetum Sphex Thynnid Wasps Tiphiidae Torymus Yellow and Black Wasp
InsectsBees Beetles Blattodea Butterflies Coleoptera Cicada Crabronidae Diptera Dragonflies & Damselflies Formicidae Hemiptera Heteroptera Moths Orthoptera Orthopteroid Processionary Caterpillar Stink Bugs, Shield Bugs and Allies Wasps Water Scorpion (Laccotrephes tristis) Witchetty Grub