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Photo#4355
Anoplius sp. with prey - Anoplius - female

Anoplius sp. with prey - Anoplius - Female
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
June 23, 2004
Found in damp forest. I've never seen this wasp before. Audubon's has a similar species which is says lives in the west. This one has the same orange markings on the abdomen. It was also very fidgety and didn't like the camera flash. Sorry the picture isn't better, but it moved fast while dragging the spider, and even faster (in circles) after each flash. This was the best one. I'll put a pic of the spider up separately.

Pompilidae
Anoplius is a very complex genus, and the species are difficult to identify even from mounted specimens. Orange markings suggest either Anoplius atrox or A. americanus, if memory serves. They can get to be very large. I hope more people photograph members of this entire family, as images are incredibly scarce. Look around aphid colonies (especially on young catalpa trees), on flowers, and on the ground for females toting spiders or seeking them out. Look on tree trunks for some small ant mimics like Dipogon, and larger species like Tachypompilus.

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