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Photo#5686
Grass-Carrying Wasp - Isodontia auripes

Grass-Carrying Wasp - Isodontia auripes
American Tobacco Trail at Scott King Road, Durham County, North Carolina, USA
November 1, 2003
Size: circa 20 mm
Found feeding on white aster. Legnth about 20 mm. Wings look worn, this is surely the end of the season for this species. Looks like a possible model for Mydas tibialis:



Eric Eaton thinks this is I. auripes. Images found on the Internet support this identification. Thanks, as always, Eric!

Images of this individual: tag all
Grass-Carrying Wasp - Isodontia auripes Grass-Carrying Wasp - Isodontia auripes

Sphecid wasp
This is one of the "grass carriers," genus Isodontia, probably I. auripes if memory serves. This genus of solitary wasps preys on tree crickets and small katydids, using pre-existing cavities as nests. Some species close their finished nests with a plug of long pieces of dry grass, so that it looks as if someone stuck a tiny broom into the hole.

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