Pepsis albocincta

Pepsis albocincta is a species of spider wasps belonging to the family Pompilidae.

Pepsis albocincta
Pepsis albocincta museum specimen
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Pompilidae
Genus:	Pepsis
Species:	P. albocincta
Binomial name
Pepsis albocincta Smith, 1855
Synonyms
Pepsis abrupta Brèthes, 1908 Pepsis ameghinoi Brèthes, 1908 Pepsis annaeerdmuthae Lucas, 1919 Pepsis bicarinata Mocsáry ms in Lucas, 1895 Pepsis chrysothorax Brèthes, 1908 Pepsis copelloi Brèthes, 1914 Pepsis echeverriai Brèthes, 1908 Pepsis erythrocera Brèthes, 1914 Pepsis ichesi Brèthes, 1908 Pepsis lycaste Banks, 1946

These wasps are also called tarantula hawks, as they usually hunt tarantulas, similarly to many species in the genus Hemipepsis.

Description

P. albocincta can reach a length of 25–55 mm (0.98–2.17 in). Body and legs are black with a weak blue-green-violet sheen. Antennae are black with orange apical segments. Wings may be amber to deep orange or dark brown or black with a blue-violet sheen.

Distribution

They are present in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay.