Pompilidae
Pronunciation: [Pom·PILL·i·dee]
Common Name: Spider Wasps
Description: The pompilids are solitary, ground-nesting wasps. Most species are medium to large in size and dark blue or black in color (sometimes with patches of red or orange on the abdomen). Females have a potent sting. They capture and paralyze spiders, using them as food for their larvae. Spider wasps can be recognized by their relatively long legs and by a transverse suture that bisects the mesopleuron (the sclerite immediately above the middle leg).
Spot ID Key Characters:
- Posterior corners of pronotum reach the tegulae
- Transverse suture bisects mesopleuron
- Dark metallic blue or black in color with with smoky or amber-colored wings
- Relatively long hind legs
- Two large spines at apex of tibia
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Order: Hymenoptera
