A cuckoo wasp
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- MarkSturtevant
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A cuckoo wasp
Here is a cuckoo wasp, Chrysis angolensis. Cuckoo wasps are parasitic on solitary bees and wasps. This was a rare occasion where one of these was actually standing still!
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters
Dept. of Still Waters
Nice shot!
It is a Chrysis sp., but not C. angolensis, that is a much bigger and stockier animal, with shiny integument and a dark blue last tergite. This is some other species, perhaps a C. pattoni male, but ID'ing these wasps from pictures are next to impossible, there's too many similar species.
/A
EDIT: Had a look around, C. pattoni looks less likely, perhaps males of C. dugesi or C. montana? But I shouldn't even try to guess...
It is a Chrysis sp., but not C. angolensis, that is a much bigger and stockier animal, with shiny integument and a dark blue last tergite. This is some other species, perhaps a C. pattoni male, but ID'ing these wasps from pictures are next to impossible, there's too many similar species.
/A
EDIT: Had a look around, C. pattoni looks less likely, perhaps males of C. dugesi or C. montana? But I shouldn't even try to guess...