American pelecinid wasp - Species Profile
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List
not listed
NatureServe
not listed
Minnesota
not listed
Description
American pelecinid wasp is a black, shiny, vespoid wasp.
Females can reproduce without fertilization, and males of this species are rare. Males are ½″ to ⅝″ or 1″ long. The posterior end of the abdomen is club-shaped.
The females are 2″ to 2⅜″ long, relatively common, and distinctive. The abdomen is long and slender. It has six segments and is five times the length of the rest of the body.
The hindwings of both sexes are ⅓ the length of the forewings.
Size
Male: ½″ to ⅝″ or 1″ long
Female: 2″ to 2⅜″ long
Similar Species
No similar species
Habitat
Deciduous forests
Ecology
Season
July to August
Behavior
Life Cycle
The female thrusts its ovipositor into the soil to detect beetle grubs. It lays a single egg on each. The wasp larva burrows into and feeds on the grub. It overwinters in the soil.
Larva Food/Hosts
May beetle (Phyllophaga) grubs
Adult Food
Flower nectar
Distribution
Occurrence
Common
Taxonomy
Order
Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies)
Suborder
Apocrita (Narrow-waisted Wasps, Ants, and Bees)
Infraorder
Proctotrupomorpha
Superfamily
Proctotrupoidea
Family
Pelecinidae
Genus
Pelecinus
Subordinate Taxa
Synonyms
Ichneumon polyturator
Common Names
American pelecinid
American pelecinid wasp
black pelecinid wasp
