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Photo#476822
Ammoplanus quabajai Pate - Ammoplanus quabajai - male
Copyright © 2010 Dennis Haines

Ammoplanus quabajai Pate - Ammoplanus quabajai - Male
Coalinga, Fresno County, California, USA
Size: 3 mm
From pitfall trap place 11/IV-2/V/09.

Images of this individual: tag all
Ammoplanus quabajai Pate - Ammoplanus quabajai - male Ammoplanus quabajai Pate - Ammoplanus quabajai - male
Contributed by Dennis Haines on 3 December, 2010 - 1:59pm

Wow!
Interesting wasp Dennis. The sinuous, non-convex, leading edge of the wing, and its strange reduced venation seem very unusual for a sphecid, at least to my (perhaps under-experienced) eye.
… Aaron Schusteff, 19 November, 2012 - 11:16pm

 
They are!
They're fascinating little wasps that hunt thrips. So they're often found hanging around small tubular pale flowers. I find them associated with Ceanothus, Phacelia, and Eriogonums frequently. They also seem to have an afinity for sandy soils. The males in this section of the Sphecidae often have strange clypeal shapes, with projections and teeth.

To a thrips they are a tiger in wait!
… Dennis Haines, 20 November, 2012 - 10:42am

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