Blue Ant from Tasmania is flightless female Flower Wasp

bugman

November 21st, 2010 at 9:40 pm

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Unknown bug
Location: Deloraine Tasmania
November 21, 2010 9:28 pm
Hi there
I have this strange ant in my back yard its about an inch long and i only ever see one by itself
Signature: Anne Bailey

Blue Ant

Hi Anne,
Even though it is called a Blue Ant, this flightless female wasp is a Flower Wasp in the family Tiphiidae. The Blue Ant is Diamma bicolor, and we found wonderful information on Oz Animals. Here is the text from Oz Animals: “Identification Blue Ants are not ants at all but the wingless females of a species of Flower Wasp. The female is has a glossy blue green body with reddish legs. They move across the ground with a rapid restless motion with abdomen raised above the ground. The winged male and is slender and much smaller with more typical wasp appearance. Males have black with white spots on the abdomen. The female wasps paralyse mole crickets as food for their larvae. The female wasp can give a painful sting if disturbed, but they are not commonly encountered by people.
Size length: females 23mm, males 15mm
Food Adults feed on nectar.
Breeding Blue Ants are parasitic wasps and lay their eggs on mole crickets. The female wasp runs over the ground like an ant looking for a mole cricket to parasitise. She paralyses the mole crickets with a sting and lay an egg on it. When the egg hatches, the larva feeds on the cricket.
Range Blue Ants are found in Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.“

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From Homopteran and Flower Wasp from Australia | What's That Bug? on 21 Nov 2010 at 9:47 pm ¶
[...] PeterUpdate: November 21, 2010 We have just re-identified this beauty on a posting today as a Blue Ant,Diamma bicolor, and you may see more information on Oz Animals. 0 I like [...]