Radumeris tasmaniensis (Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp)Female Male

The Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris tasmaniensis) is native to Australia and Papua New Guinea, although they have been sighted in New Zealand (as an invasive species).

Whilst they are found along the coastal regions of eastern Australia, stretching south to Victoria and into South Australia, and the south-western coastline of Western Australia, these photos of the Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp were taken in Central Australia.

Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris tasmaniensis)
Male Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris tasmaniensis) resting on the leaf of a guava tree in an urban garden, Alice Springs, NT

Like other Scoliid wasps, the females have short antennae, whilst the male of the species have longer antennae. On sighting a small group of these Yellow Hairy Flower Wasps, they were resting on a guava shrub in Alice Springs, with some variation in sizes, the largest being about 2 cm long.

Female Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris tasmaniensis), Olive Pink Botanic Garden, Alice Springs NT
Female Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris tasmaniensis) feeding on nectar of Eremophila christophori, Olive Pink Botanic Garden, Alice Springs NT

The Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp are larval parasites, the size of the wasps appear to depend on the size of the host larva.

Sometimes Radumeris tasmaniensis is confused with Radumeris radula, and whilst radula is found in the north of the country, tasmaniensi is found mainly in the south. The easiest way to distinguish them is from the colour of the setae on the top of the thorax of the female wasp. In Radumeris tasmaniensis it is yellowish in colour, whilst in Radumeris radula it is a uniform rusty red-brown in colour.

They were also once known as Campsomeris tasmaniensis. Here is a link to the nomenclature: https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/Radumeris_tasmaniensis


  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Subphylum: Hexapoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Order: Hymenoptera
  • Superfamily: Vespoidea
  • Family: Scoliidae
  • Genus: Radumeris
  • Species: Radumeris tasmaniensis

Check out our other pages on Radumeris tasmaniensis (Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp) | Female | Male 


Footnote & References

  1. Radumeris tasmaniensis, iNaturalist NZ, https://inaturalist.nz/taxa/396245-Radumeris-tasmaniensis / https://inaturalist.nz/taxa/396245-Radumeris-tasmaniensis/browse_photos
  2. Radumeris tasmaniensis, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Radumeris tasmaniensis
  3. Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp, Ellura – Ants, Bees, Flies & Wasps, http://www.ellura.info/Insect/Wasp/DSC04885RF-Yellow-Hairy-Flower-Wasp-Radumeris-tasmaniensis.html
  4. Hairy Flower Wasp – Scoliidae – Campsomeris sp, 3 May 2012, by William Archer, Esperance Fauna, http://esperancewildlife.blogspot.com/search/label/Insects%20-%20Wasps
  5. Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp – Campsomeris tasmaniensis, Brisbane Insects and Spiders Home Page, https://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_vespoidwasps/YellowHairyFlowerWasp.htm

Radumeris tasmaniensis (Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp)Female Male

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