Sonora Pass Pollen Wasp - Pseudomasaris zonalis

Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Vespoidea » Vespidae » Pollen Wasps (Masarinae) » Pseudomasaris » Pseudomasaris zonalis

Photo#1277783

Copyright © 2016 Aaron Schusteff

Sonora Pass Pollen Wasp - Pseudomasaris zonalis -

A few kilometers north of Sonora Pass, Alpine County, California, USA
July 26, 2016

In this image, following the upper edge of the wasp's left wing out a ways from its base, you can see part of the yellow patch of color around the propodeal corner...and barely see part of its short spine (note that the yellow patch there is not part of the first segment of the metasoma, which is entirely black in its basal portion).

The posterolateral corners of the propodeum yellow, and with a short spine, is consistent with the descriptions of both zonalis and macneilli...though Richards' remark above indicates the spine is shorter on macneilli.

Images of this individual: tag all

Sonora Pass Pollen Wasp - Pseudomasaris zonalis - female

Contributed by Aaron Schusteff on 18 August, 2016 - 1:23am
Last updated 12 July, 2023 - 7:07pm

Moved

Moved from Pseudomasaris.

… Nathaniel Green, 12 July, 2023 - 7:07pm

Hi Aaron,

you've already covered pretty much everything, including the propodeal spines. Part of the left one appears to be visible in this photo and seems like the ones on my specimens & photos for P. zonalis. Richards mentions that though the P. macneilli female could be confused with P. zonalis, the former "...has longer hairs and shorter propodeal spines". I've never seen a specimen of P. macneilli. Have been wanting to go up there but just haven't had the time. Might try before my grandkids return from Japan.
Anyway, I put my bet on zonalis.
By the way, just saw lots of P. wheeleri in the San Gabriels a few days ago. They were more numerous than in my previous observations. Perhaps the bounty of post-fire Eriodictyon parryi.

… Hartmut Wisch, 27 June, 2017 - 7:40pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2025 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by: