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Photo#169871
rippled antenna wasp - Colocistis - male

rippled antenna wasp - Colocistis - Male
Lordsburg, Hidalgo County, New Mexico, USA
July 2, 2007
Size: 12-14 mm
came to light

Colocistis sp.
Moved from Brachycistidinae.

awesome
This is a Brachycistidinae male. Its a nocturnal tiphiid. The females are wingless and burrow in the sand, only coming out to breed during specific seasons. The males commonly come to lights at night, sometimes by the thousands.

 
Thanks, William.
How can you tell it's in subfamily Brachycistidinae? Are the "rippled" antennae distinctive? (there's no info on the Guide page)

 
It lacks the felt line on the
It lacks the felt line on the second tergite that Mutillidae and Bradynobaenidae have, which rules out those two families. Its one of the few nocturnal hymenoptera in the west.

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