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Potter Wasp hunting a caterpillar (with video)

Delta sp.

Photo by SukanyaDatta
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

Large, at least an inch long. Maroon coloured body but head has traces of bright yellow. the green thing it is holding onto is not a twig...it is the caterpillar.

Habitat:

The office has lines of chrysanthemum flowers in pots, This wasp was buzzing over those and I wondered why it was ignoring the flowers. Suddenly it dived into the leaves and I knelt to see why. It grappled with the caterpillar (so green that I had not seen it against the green twigs). It stung the caterpillar; I did not see it struggling. But what was fascinating was how the wasp grappled with it...dragged it up the branch and on top of the terminal bud where it rested a bit...then, as the video shows it FLEW away with its catch...how much weight can a wasp carry?

Notes:

https://youtu.be/UUpFRP3fF38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUpFRP3fF38&feature=youtu.be

Reference Links:

Image of potter wasp (Delta sp, ... | Stock image | Colourbox

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (16)
Mark Ridgway
Yes the video worked... put me off my dinner. :)
SukanyaDatta
Thank you, Mark...am pretty chuffed...and to spot this in such an unlikely place too...my office!
SukanyaDatta
Thank you, Polilla, I was truly transfixed...then I thought... we think tigers and lions when we use the word hunting. But this potter wasp was hunting too. Small it may have been...it hunted with such a sense of purpose!
SukanyaDatta
doctorsutaparay: JJ it does look a lot like http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/256... which is a Potter wasp from Thailand. Eumenes sp....so maybe. But then http://threatenedtaxa.org/ZooPrintJournal/2010/November/o246826xi101313-1322.pdf...picture is very like Delta conoideum....
SukanyaDatta
Rahul...Thank you...glad you enjoyed the video. Much of the action was hidden by the leaves though.
SukanyaDatta
Lauren, Thanks. Glad you liked it. The best shot which I can only see in my minds eye was after it zoomed away (in the video) it paused in midair...the caterpillar dangling in its grasp...then it was gone. Office lunchtime walk was so worth it! Thanks again.
SukanyaDatta
Thanks LeanneGardner ...honestly I was standing right next to the plant and the caterpillar was so well camouflaged but the wasp sensed it right away...it buzzed and buzzed and dived right in...then it consolidated its hold on the caterpillar and hauled it up...rested on the bud as you saw...truly amazing. Thanks for the appreciation.
LaurenZarate
Wow Sukanya! Amazing series. I can't believe you caught it flying away with the caterpillar.
SukanyaDatta
Thanks MudWiggle...it must have been really terrifying for the caterpillar...I never even saw it...but the wasp sensed it alright.
LeanneGardner
Great series and video SukanyaDatta. After watching the video, I see now the meal in it's mouth in these photos. Great find!
MudWiggle
oh my goodness! beautiful and terrifying at the same time :) Awesome photos

Spotted for Missions

Mission
WILD Cities: Urban Biodiversity
Mission
Hunters & Animal Food Habits
Mission
Caterpillars and larvae of the World
Photographed
PublishedJanuary 15, 2016

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