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Subfamily Sphecinae - Thread-waisted Wasps
This page contains pictures and information about subfamily Sphecinae - Thread-waisted Wasps that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Wasps in this subfamily are medium to large size, with the distinctive long and narrow petiole.
- Common Mud-Dauber Wasp
- Sceliphron formosum, length 22mm
- Some wasps build nests with pellets of mud. Those are individual cells in rows built by Mud-Dauber Wasps. They are very common around Brisbane, in sheltered locations. If a cell is opened, you may find a wasp larva, together with some spiders which are the larva's foods. They are collected by the mother wasp. We opened one cell and recorded the development of a wasp. Details please click here.
- Black Digger Wasp
- Sphex cognatus (Chlorion cognatus), body length 25mm
- This wasp is black in colour. Female burrow in ground and prey on crickets and grasshoppers for their young. It builds its nest on the sandy shore of a creek. More pictures and information please visit this page.
- Golden Digger Wasp
- Sphex sp., body length 20mm
- We found this wasp in Karawatha Forest during late summer. It was hopping and searching on the forest floor. Its wings, thorax and head was in golden colour with a black body. Its legs were strong and was running fast. Please also check this page for more information.
- Different Types of Mud Cells
- ? sp.
- Reference:
- 1. Insects of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 990.
- 2. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus & Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p297.
