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Photo#63558
wasp - Pterocheilus

wasp - Pterocheilus
Calpine, Sierra County, California, USA
June 29, 2006

OOPS! Two different Eumenine genera
This one wasp is most likely a Pterocheilus sp., although typical mouth parts are not visible. But the rounded tegulae and overall color pattern leave hardly any doubt. This insect looks almost identical to the Mediterranean species P. labiatus.
This case shows how Eumeninae are a difficult group, but that makes them all the more fascinating. Indeed, myself would have overlooked the differences without the magnification - and the quality of your pictures, as usual. These two wasps of similar size and color pattern probably belong to the same "Muellerian mimicry" circle.

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