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Photo#1329963
Tiphiid Wasp with Primary Submarginal Isolation (ventral) - Colocistis crassa - male

Tiphiid Wasp with Primary Submarginal Isolation (ventral) - Colocistis crassa - Male
Tonopah Desert, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA
May 24, 2015
Size: 16mm
These are images of a Tiphiid Wasp that I believe is most likely a male Colocistis crassa. (former genus: Brachycistis)
Distribution: Colocistis crassa may be found in California, Nevada, southern Idaho, Utah, southern Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas and much of northern Mexico.
Full Size Image: Click Here
ID info:
ID confirmed by Dr. Lynn Kimsey (2017)
The overall body size, shapes and coloring, as well as the lack of a felt line on the second tergite suggest that this is a member of the subfamily Brachycistidinae.
Keying to Genera of Males in the Subfamily Brachycistidinae: Kimsey & Wasbauer (2006)(1)
Sex = ♂ male (11 flagellomeres & 7 abdominal segments)
1. - Forewing with two discoidal cells = 2
2. - Sternum II without medial ridge; forewing R vein extending along costal margin for less than two-thirds the length of stigma or not reaching costal margin at all = 3
3. - Mandible with longitudinal carina on external surface and with three apical teeth; maxillary and labial palpi clearly visible beneath head, extending as far as occipital carina or further, with six and four palpomeres respectively = 4
4. - Maxillary palpi robust and long, extending well beyond underside of head; forewing R vein extending along costal margin less than one-third stigmal length or not even reaching costal margin = 5
5. - Sternum I with short medial longitudinal carina extending posteriorly from base; forewing vein tCu-1 arising at or before basal third of first submarginal cell; digitus with short, broadly rounded apex = genus Colocistis Krombein (1942)
Keying to Species in the Genus Colocistis Kimsey & Wasbauer (2013): (2)
Note, the wings of the males of this genus may be easily identified by: The second submarginal cell completely or almost completely underlying the first submarginal cell, the first transverse cubital vein (tCu1) arising at or before basal third of the first submarginal cell.
OOL = ocellocular length, the distance between the hind ocellus and the nearest eye margin
1. - Winged, metasoma 7-segmented; males = 5
5. - Forewing with three submarginal cells; hindcoxal carina prominent = 8
8. - Metasomal sternum II basally slightly raised and separated from posterior part by a transverse declivity = 9
9. - Head and body castaneus (chestnut colored); ocelli enlarged, diameter of lateral ocellus at least 0.7× OOL; clypeus without median tubercle; aedeagus in lateral view suddenly decurved, apex with a dorsally projecting process = species crassa Bradley (1917)
Here is a link to the second guy that I filmed: ♂ (more views of the body & wings)

Images of this individual: tag all
Tiphiid Wasp with Primary Submarginal Isolation (ventral) - Colocistis crassa - male Tiphiid Wasp with Primary Submarginal Isolation (ventral palpi) - Colocistis crassa - male Tiphiid Wasp with Primary Submarginal Isolation (ventral mandibles) - Colocistis crassa - male Tiphiid Wasp with Primary Submarginal Isolation (ventral abdomen) - Colocistis crassa - male Tiphiid Wasp with Primary Submarginal Isolation (thorax) - Colocistis crassa - male Tiphiid Wasp with Primary Submarginal Isolation (dorsal) - Colocistis crassa - male Tiphiid Wasp with Primary Submarginal Isolation (dorsal wings) - Colocistis crassa - male Tiphiid Wasp with Primary Submarginal Isolation (dorsal thorax) - Colocistis crassa - male Tiphiid Wasp with Primary Submarginal Isolation (wing pattern) - Colocistis crassa - male Tiphiid Wasp with Primary Submarginal Isolation (lateral head) - Colocistis crassa - male Tiphiid Wasp with Primary Submarginal Isolation (face) - Colocistis crassa - male

Moved
Moved from Colocistis.

Moved
Moved from Brachycistidinae.