Yellow Antenna Black Spider Wasp - Fabriogenia sp.

Family POMPILIDAE

This page contains pictures and information about Yellow Antenna Black Spider Wasp that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.


Body length 20mm

This wasp is common in Brisbane Eucalyptus forests. It is black in colour with yellow antenna. We usually see it flying and examining among tree trunks.



In late summer we saw this wasp on a dead tree trunk. It spent a lot of time checking each hole on the dead tree trunk. We believed those holes were made by the beetle larvae. The wasp was looking for those larvae, if found, will bring back to its nest for its young.



The wasp check every holes. For some holes, the wasp went inside and spent tens of seconds inside. We watched it for a few minutes, it had no luck and could not find any yet.



Just captured a spider outside our house. .







Oct 2009 in Carbrook Wetland




The Spider Wasp was examining a Jumping Spider's retreat on a gum tree trunk.




Here we would like to thank Professor Denis Brothers sending us email advised that this wasp is in the POMPILIDAE family.

Reference:
1. Insects of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 975.
2. What wasp is that? - An interactive identification guide to the Australasian families of Hymenoptera, 2007.