Categories
Dragonflies and Damselflies, Hornets and Yellow JacketsTags
food chain, Invasive ExoticsLarge redand yellow bee/wasp?
September 2, 2009
Would like to know the name of this bee-like bug that I found eating a dragonfly
Wondering999
Odenton, Maryland
European Hornet eats Dragonfly
Dear Wondering999,
The predator in your photo is a European Hornet, Vespa crabo, an introduced species, so we are tagging it as an Invasive Exotic. You can read about the species on BugGuide. The prey seems to resemble one of the Pilot Darners in the genus Coryphaeschna, but we are uncertain if the range is a far north as Maryland. We would love assistance with the Dragonfly ID. We didn’t have much luck on this Dragonfly of Maryland page.
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Comments 2
I was just looking for something on the web when I found the site. The dragonfly seen being eaten by the hornet appears to be a swamp darner (Epiaeschna heros).
Posted 08 Oct 2009 at 10:47 am ¶Yes, it is Epiaeschna heros. Black abdomen with alternating double and single green rings pretty much nails it.
Posted 22 Jan 2011 at 2:16 pm ¶Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.
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