BembixBembix vespiformis
— see also Bembicinae
The Bembix genus is a large cosmopolitan of medium to large, sometimes brightly coloured predatory sand wasps. Current recorded observations on iNaturalist, show the biggest concentration of Bembix genera along the coastal regions, especially in the south (particularly in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and south-west Western Australia). Bembix wasps are found throughout Australia, including the arid regions of Central Australia. At time of writing, iNaturalist had 142 named species from around the world, there being many unidentified species.
The following images of a sand wasp photographed in Alice Springs, Central Australia. It is thought to belong to the genus Bembix. We are awaiting confirmation on the ID as being species Bembix palmata.
Genus Bembix belongs to the subfamily Bembicinae comprising a large group of crabronid wasps that includes a worldwide distribution of over 80 genera and over 1,800 species.
There are thought to be around 380 species of the genus Bembix.
Check out our Alice Springs Wasps > Bembix.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Informal: Pterygotes
- Order: Hymenoptera
- Superfamily: Apoidea
- Informal: Spheciformes
- Family: Crabronidae
- Subfamily: Bembicinae
- Genus: Bembix
- Species: Bembix palmata
Footnote & References
- Bembix palmata Smith, 1856, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:cbd22f8d-d248-4c82-a16a-2764584e56a0
- Yellow Sand Wasp – Bembix palmata, Brisbane Insects and Spiders, https://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_apoidwasps/SandWasp.htm
BembixBembix vespiformis
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