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predatory wasp

Photo by KarenSaxton
Published on Project Noah
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-18.86, 27.37

Field Notes

Notes:

These little wasps were everywhere during our trip through S Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. This was the only really decent set of photos

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (2)
KarenSaxton
Thank you! I also spotted a very similar looking wasp in Ecuador
John La Salle
Very nice - This is a spider wasp in the family Pompilidae. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_wasp They paralyse spiders, then drag them to a nest and lay an egg on them. When the egg hatches, the larvae develops by eating the spider. Sometimes they remove the legs from the spiders - as in your picture and the following. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pompilidae,_Cuenca,_Ecuador..JPG

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Hunters & Animal Food Habits
Photographed
PublishedSeptember 9, 2015

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