I have lived in Minnesota for the majority of my 60+ years. The other day I was outside b-b-qing and looked down to the grass, what did I see? My very first b/w wasp. I was awe struck. I watched it flutter its wings as it crawled across my lawn. Looked like it wanted to fly but could not. Is it unusual to such a wasp in my area(Minneapolis/St. Paul)? Is this the first reported sighting in MN? I wish I had taken a picture of it.

Moved from Odynerus.

This is the only species of the genus that occurs in the area. Great addition to bugguide and a nice shot! This species nests in the ground and makes its own burrows (unusual for mason wasps). Look for little mud turrets made by the female that serve as entrance!

Nice shot of an aging, but typical female specimen. To my knowledge, the first one for this genus (closely related to Pterocheilus but lacking special labial palps) on BG. Only 4 species are listed for NA in nearctica.com. This species is strikingly similar to European species of the spinipes group.