Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » "Parasitica" - Parasitoid Wasps » Braconid and Ichneumonid Wasps (Ichneumonoidea) » Ichneumonid Wasps (Ichneumonidae) » Cryptinae » Cryptini » Cryptina » Cryptus
Photo#45231
Neon Blue & Orange Wasp - Cryptus - female
Copyright © 2006 Chuck Entz

Neon Blue & Orange Wasp - Cryptus - Female
Encino, Los Angeles County, California, USA
March 18, 2006
Size: about 1/2 inch
I've been seeing these for years now, but they flit around so much it's hard to get close enough to photograph before they move on.Today was a bit chilly, so I was able to keep up with it as it searched under and around everything on the ground.
From the metallic blue color and its habit of flicking its wings I thought it might be related to the blue mud dauber (Chalybion californicum), but the ovipositor suggests I've entered the Ichneumonoid Zone, where even taxonomists abandon hope of finding their way... :-)

Images of this individual: tag all
Neon Blue & Orange Wasp - Cryptus - female Neon Blue & Orange Wasp - Cryptus - female
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Chuck Entz on 18 March, 2006 - 10:14pm
Last updated 30 June, 2021 - 10:05pm

Moved
Moved from Cryptinae.
… Jonathan Hoskins, 30 June, 2021 - 10:05pm login or register to post comments

You have entered...
the "forbidden" zone. Indeed, being good at Ichneumonidae (at least the family can be told for sure thanks to wing venation) is a full-time job. This superb female belongs to one of the big-sized genera of subfamily Cryptinae (= Gelinae, = Phygadeuontinae).
Ironically, some genera of this group are parasitoid of mud dauber Sphecids like Sceliphron or Chalybion. Their well developped ovipositor distinguishes them from some Ichneumoninae, which can have exactly the same color pattern.
By their swift gait and the habit of flicking their wings, these Ichneumon Wasps somehow mimick Spider Wasps, too.
… Richard Vernier, 19 March, 2006 - 5:04am login or register to post comments

 
Thanks!
I'm happy just to have a subfamily on this one!
… Chuck Entz, 19 March, 2006 - 8:58am login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

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 © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact