Species Evania appendigaster - Blue-eyed Ensign Wasp

Classification · Other Common Names · Identification · Range · Habitat · Remarks · Internet References

Evania appendigaster? - Evania appendigaster

Black Spider Wasp? - Evania appendigaster

should be Evania appendigaster - Evania appendigaster

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)

No Taxon ("Parasitica" - Parasitoid Wasps)

Superfamily Evanioidea (Aulacid, Ensign, and Gasteruptiid Wasps)

Family Evaniidae (Ensign Wasps)

Genus Evania

Species appendigaster (Blue-eyed Ensign Wasp)

Other Common Names

Common Cockroach Egg Parasitoid Wasp

* Note: it is not appropriate to call this "the" cockroach egg parasitoid wasp as that applies to the entire family.

Identification

Most readily identified by its brilliant blue eyes. The only species in our area with all of the coxae evenly spaced. It is one of two large species, the other being the often brown-marked Prosevania fuscipes.

Note: additional (rare) blue or green-eyed Evania and Evaniella species occur south of our area, such as Evania albofasciatus in Central America [holotype specimen (BMNH)]

Range

Cosmopolitan. Introduced, probably of oriental origin.

Habitat

Sometimes found in houses.

Remarks

A solitary endoparasitoid of oothecae of several introduced cockroach species, of which it has a biological control potential: "American" cockroach (really from Africa and the Middle East) - Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758); Oriental cockroach - Blatta orientalis Linnaeus, 1758; and Australian cockroach - Periplaneta australasiae (Fabricius, 1775).

Internet References

U. Florida. A Cockroach Egg Parasitoid, Evania appendigaster (Linnaeus) (Hymenoptera: Evaniidae)

Biological Control. Biological characteristics of Evania appendigaster (L.) (Hymenoptera: Evaniidae) in different densities of Periplaneta americana (L.) oothecae (Blattodea: Blattidae)

Contributed by Tony DiTerlizzi on 4 April, 2005 - 8:05am
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, PaleoJon, bdagley
Last updated 11 October, 2022 - 8:28pm

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