Species Pseudomalus auratus

Pseudomalus auratus (Linnaeus 1758)

4 mm

Very similar to P. purpuratus but usually can be distinguished by having the terga bright coppery gold with a greenish shine in contrast to the blue, green and purple thorax and head

native to, and widespread in the Palaearctic, introduced in NA (e. US, UT, CA...)

"The wasp oviposits inside the aphids but it gets more complicated. The aphid with a chrysidid egg inside must be captured by crabronid wasp and taken to its nest. Some crabronids hunt aphids for food provision to their offspring. Later, inside crabronid wasp's nest the chrysidid egg will hatch, kill crabronid larva and consume the food provision (aphids). This is how chrysidid gets her egg inside the crabronid wasp nest without risking entering to the nest herself." (Villu Soon, 11.vii.2017)

introduced to e. US probably before 1828