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Wasps and HornetsSmall wasplike insect with orange abdomen
This wasp was taken on July 22 in a wooded area of Brazos Bend State Park. I haven’t found anything in any of my books that looks like a sure match. It is 19 mm long. Please let me know what it is. Thanks a bunch.
Glen Kilgore
Hi Glen,
We will check to see if Eric Eaton recognizes your wasp. Here is Eric’s response: “The wasp with the red abdomen is a sphecid in the genus Prionyx, and looks to be a female. It is probably P. fervens, as it has dark wings, which the otherwise similar species do not have. Females paralyze short-horned grasshoppers (Acrididae) as food for their offspring, and they frequently capture ‘hoppers much larger and far heavier than themselves.”
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