Fire-tailed Mud-nesting Wasp 1 - ? Paralastor sp.

FAMILY VESPIDAE

This page contains pictures and information about Fire-tailed Mud-nesting Wasps that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.


Body length 20mm

This wasp has the dark head and thorax. Its abdomen is bright orange in colour.



We first saw this wasp in Karawatha Forest during mid summer. It was collecting mud from loose soil.



Jan 2008, Anstead, the wasp was collecting mud on loose soil.



We quite often saw this wasp collection mud on sandy soil.



We followed a wasp which was flying into a tree hole and landed on a ball of dry soil. We checked that the dry soil was the very well camouflaged mud-cells.



We opened one cell and found a larva, not sure if it is the same species.

Reference:
1. Northern Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.