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Species Ancistrocerus campestris

Mason Wasp - Ancistrocerus campestris - female Wasp - Ancistrocerus campestris - male smiley face - black and yellow - Ancistrocerus campestris - male Potter Wasp - Ancistrocerus campestris - female Uh-oh - Ancistrocerus campestris IMG_6350 - Ancistrocerus campestris Ancistrocerus campestris? potter wasp - Ancistrocerus campestris - female Smiling Mason Wasp - Ancistrocerus campestris
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps)
Superfamily Vespoidea
Family Vespidae
Subfamily Eumeninae (Potter and Mason Wasps)
Genus Ancistrocerus
Species campestris (Ancistrocerus campestris)
Explanation of Names
Ancistrocerus campestris (de Saussure 1852)
Size
Forewing: ♂ 6.5–9 mm, ♀ 9–11 mm(1)
Identification
per Dr. Matthias Buck, the "smiling face" on scutellum and metanotum combined with the shape of the apical band on tergite 1 makes A. campestris fairly distinctive. Ancistrocerus lutonidus is similar but the spots on the scutellum are much larger, nearly confluent, and tergum 2 has a pair of yellow spots.
Range
a common eastern species (NH-FL to ON-MN-SD-TX)(1)
See Also
A. unifasciatus may look alike but lacks the 'curl' at the sides of the median black spot on urotergite I. -- Richard Vernier
Internet References
Works Cited
1.Identification Atlas of the Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) of the Northeastern Nearctic Region
Matthias Buck, Stephen A. Marshall, and David K. B. Cheung. 2008. Biological Survey of Canada [Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification].