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- Species in this family are known as Flower Wasps. They are usually dark
brown to black in colours marked with yellow.
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- Their larvae parasite on soil insects
such as burrowing beetles
larvae and mole crickets. The female Flower Wasps has to burrow through the soil
to find the host and lay an egg on it. The female legs are modified for
digging. For species in subfamily Thynnine, the females' wings are lost.
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- However, the female wasps, as the male wasps, are feed on
nectar and have to visit flowers. Wingless is a big disadvantage. Flower Wasps
evolved
a mating behaviour which the males help the females on feeding. Their mating time is very
long. It is common to see a male Flower Wasp carrying a wingless female, with
tail to tail attached, flying between flowers. The transportation is part of
the mating procedures.
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- Despite they are wingless, female flower wasps will sting if disturbed.
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- Most species are in subfamily Thynnine which the females are wingless.
Females in other sub-families are winged.
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- Yellow Flower Wasp
 - Agriomyia sp., winged male 20mm, windless female 15mm
- We took those pictures when the winged male carrying the non-winged female
flying between grasses while they were mating. More information and pictures
please check this page.
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- Black Flower Wasp 1
- Epactiothynnus sp., body length 15mm
- On Jan 2009 in Brisbane Koala Bushlands near Burbank, we saw two male
flower wasps looking for something on the sandy forest floor. We believed
they sensed the smell of female flower wasp. Please check this page
for more details.
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- Black Flower Wasp 2
 - Epactiothynnus sp., winged male 20mm, windless female 10mm
- It is common to see a male Flower Wasp carrying a wingless female, with
tail to tail attached, flying between flowers. On Dec 2006, we saw a male
Flower Wasp it was searching for something under a dry leaf. It found a
female. Please check this page for more
information.
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- Black Flower Wasp 3
 - Epactiothynnus sp., body length 15mm
- 1. Northern Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.
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- Black Flower Wasp 4
 - Epactiothynnus sp., body length 15mm
- We found this broken wing male Flower Wasp in Daisy Hill near Buhot Creek
on Dec 2008. The Black Flower Wasps 1-4 from above have the marking on body
a bit different but they could be the same species. Need more information
and observations to confirm this.
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- Brown Flower Wasp
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- ? Gymnothynnus sp, winged male 15mm, wingless female 8mm
- We saw a wasp landed and rested on a dry grass with its abdomen tip
attached with something. Looked a bit closer we found that the attachment
was a wingless wasp. Then we understand it must be a flower wasps mating
pairs. They flied away after we took a few photos. More pictures and
information can be found in this page.
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- Black Flower Wasp
 - Tachyphron armidalensis, winged male 15mm
- Pictures taken on Dec 2009 In Anstead Forest.
- 1. Tachyphron aculeatus
- - Insects of Townsville, Australia, Graeme Cocks, 2004.
- 2. Northern Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.
- 3. Tachyphron, a New Genus of Australian Thynninae (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae) - G. R. BROWN, J.
Aust. ent. SOC., 1995, 34: 241-246.
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- Flower Wasp
  - Photo: Keith Power, Toowoomba
- Tachynomyia adusta, male, winged male 15mm
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- Here we would like to thank Graham Brown again for sending us
emails to correct some of our mistakes in this page.
- Reference:
- 1. Insects
of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University
Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 977.
- 2. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus
& Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p293.
- 3. What wasp is that? - An interactive identification guide to the Australasian families of Hymenoptera, 2007.
- 4. Northern Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.
- 5. Specimen Image Index - ICDB, ENTOMOLOGY AT DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WESTERN AUSTRALIA
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[ Up ] [ FAMILY POMPILIDAE ] [ Family Mutillidae ] [ FAMILY TIPHIIDAE ] [ FAMILY SCOLIIDAE ] [ FAMILY VESPIDAE ] [ FAMILY SPHECIDAE/CRABRONIDAE ] [ Nesting Behaviour of Predatory Wasps ] [ Other Predatory Wasps ]
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