Pepsis thisbe, also known as Thisbe's tarantula-hawk wasp,[1] is a species of spider wasp in the family Pompilidae.[2][3] Females are 32-44 mm long with a dark blue body and orange wings.[4]
| Pepsis thisbe | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pepsis thisbe and prey, Riverside County, California, 2024 | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Pompilidae |
| Subfamily: | Pepsinae |
| Genus: | Pepsis |
| Species: | P. thisbe
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pepsis thisbe Lucas, 1895
| |
Description
editThe females of this species sport curly antennae, while the males' are straight. Males do not have stingers and females have ones about 7mm (¼ inch) in length. Adults are nectarivores (feeding on flower material), but females hunt tarantulas as food for larvae, hence their name. They're found throughout the American Southwest in desert areas.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Thisbe's Tarantula-hawk Wasp (Pepsis thisbe)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
- ^ "Pepsis thisbe". GBIF. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
- ^ "Pepsis thisbe species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
- ^ Will, Kip; Gross, Joyce; Rubinoff, Daniel; Powell, Jerry A. (2020). Field Guide to California Insects. Oakland, California: University of California Press. p. 454. ISBN 9780520288744.
- ^ "Tarantula Hawk (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
Further reading
edit- Vardy, C. R. (2005). "The New World tarantula-hawk wasp genus Pepsis Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)". Zoologische Verhandelingen.
External links
edit
Media related to Pepsis thisbe at Wikimedia Commons
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