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) » Flies (Diptera) » "Aschiza" » Hover Flies (Syrphidae) » Eristalinae » Milesiini » Criorhinina » Sphecomyia » Sphecomyia vittata
Photo#627970
unknown wasp - Sphecomyia vittata
Copyright © 2012 Judy Gallagher

unknown wasp - Sphecomyia vittata
Julie Metz Wetlands, Prince William County, Virginia, USA
April 8, 2012
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Judy Gallagher on 8 April, 2012 - 8:50pm
Last updated 9 April, 2012 - 10:29am

Moved
Moved from Syrphid Flies.
… Martin Hauser, 9 April, 2012 - 10:29am login or register to post comments

 
Thanks
Martin, thanks for the identification.
… Judy Gallagher, 9 April, 2012 - 3:37pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Not a wasp, but a pretty good mimic. Looks like something in/near Sphecomyia:

… Ken Wolgemuth, 8 April, 2012 - 8:57pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks
Ken, thanks. I was fooled again - sorry.
… Judy Gallagher, 8 April, 2012 - 9:02pm login or register to post comments

 
No need to apologize..
After all, they've had millions of years to perfect their disguises. :)
… Ken Wolgemuth, 8 April, 2012 - 9:03pm login or register to post comments

 
I second that.
I actually *caught* one of these in Cincinnati years ago. It wasn't until it was in a jar that I discovered it wasn't a yellowjacket queen. Even its flight behavior was indistinguishable from the real thing. Great image, by the way :-)
… Eric R. Eaton, 11 April, 2012 - 5:23pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks
Eric, thanks for making me feel a little better!
… Judy Gallagher, 11 April, 2012 - 7:21pm 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