Biology:Pepsis thisbe

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Short description: Species of wasp

Pepsis thisbe
Pepsis thisbe and prey, Riverside County, California, 2024
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Pompilidae
Subfamily: Pepsinae
Genus: Pepsis
Species:
P. thisbe
Binomial name
Pepsis thisbe
Lucas, 1895

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]

Description

The 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 are found throughout the American Southwest in desert areas.[5]

References

Further reading

  • Vardy, C. R. (2005). "The New World tarantula-hawk wasp genus Pepsis Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)". Zoologische Verhandelingen. 

Wikidata ☰ Q49594291 entry