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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Spider Wasps, Velvet Ants and allies (Pompiloidea) » Spider Wasps (Pompilidae) » Pepsinae » Tarantula-hawk Wasps and Allies (Pepsini) » Tarantula-hawk Wasps (Pepsis)
Photo#15789
tarantula hawk - Pepsis - female
Copyright © 2005 tom murray

tarantula hawk - Pepsis - Female
Weslaco, Texas, USA
October 23, 2004
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by tom murray on 27 April, 2005 - 7:49pm
Last updated 2 September, 2019 - 11:21pm

Wasp
I had one of these fly into my house tonight at 8:30 pm when I opened my front door, in Fallbrook, CA. Scarey
… Snowwkat58, 2 September, 2019 - 11:16pm login or register to post comments

Female
This looks very much like a female "Pepsis cerberus" species-type of Pepsis menechma. Aaron Schusteff recently add this new non-taxon or sub-species page. You may want to ask him about this gal, from Texas.
I'm not sure of the exact ranges. A good close-up of her tibial spines might confirm. The thin flagellum and 6 abdominal segments = ♀
… Bob Biagi, 2 May, 2016 - 9:04pm login or register to post comments

tarantula wasp
I just had my first sighting in my yard in Torrance Ca. What a beauty it was! As it walked across the lawn, I wondered what this very large thing was. Amazing colors and movement. As my cat approached, it took off and left the yard. When I described it, I found your site. I agree with Sharon who posted on 4/13/16. This insect should not be killed when outside and doing us no harm.
… lindaz, 2 May, 2016 - 1:52pm login or register to post comments

Tarantula Hawk wasp
walked out my front door this morning and found a Tarantula Hawk wasp on my front porch, large and scary
… Sherrie, 28 August, 2014 - 9:11am login or register to post comments

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