Bembicinae

— see also Bembix

The following images of a sand wasp photographed in Alice Springs, Central Australia is thought to belong to the subfamily Bembicinae.

Genus suggestions include Bembecinus or Bembix.

Theses are a group of wasps commonly called a “sand wasp”, due to that they nest in the sand. There are many genus, across many species that nest in the sand.

There are thought to be at least 200 species of Bembecinus and around 380 species of Bembix.

In the following video, you can see the samd wasps in a frenetic “mating balls”. Usually these mating balls consist of one female with males enclosed around her.

---

---

The following images are closeups (some unfortunately are not very sharp).

---

• Scientific classification
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Arthropoda
• Class: Insecta
• Informal: Pterygotes
• Order: Hymenoptera
• Superfamily: Apoidea
• Informal: Spheciformes
• Family: Crabronidae
• Subfamily: Bembicinae

---

• Genus: suggestions have been
  • Genus: Bembecinus
  • Genus: Bembix

---

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 bicolor (Orange Spider Wasp) Delta latreillei (Potter Wasp) Eumeninae Delta philantes Ferreola handschini (Orange-collared Spider Wasp) Flower Wasps Gasteruptiid Wasp Hairy Flower Wasps Isodontia (Grass-carrying Wasp) Lissopimpla excelsa (Orchid Dupe Wasp) Mutillidae Paralastor sp. Pseudabispa bicolor ssp. nigrocinctoides Radumeris radula (Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp) Radumeris tasmaniensis (Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp) Sceliphron laetum 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