Unknown Square-Headed Wasp - Tachytes

Moved

… Matthias Buck, 20 February, 2017 - 10:39am

Moved to new species page

Moved from Tachytes.

Congrats on new BugGuide species page!
She checks out on all of the key qualities and some that are not included in the key. (eyes & wings)

… Bob Biagi, 20 February, 2017 - 12:01am

Tachytes

Hi Bob, Tachytes pennsylvanicus is recorded as far south as Virginia in the east. Georgia is certainly out of range. Please be aware that Tachytes is a very tough genus, even with specimens at hand and a microscope. I think you are moving way too fast through this genus. Identifications should be verified by an expert. Please feel free to offer your ideas on identification in the form of comments but I would like to ask you to refrain from moving images to species folders until they have been verified. Thanks for all your work on Bugguide!

… Matthias Buck, 20 February, 2017 - 10:44am

Range info

I'm currently stuck in the desert south-west and I have limited resources for checking the ranges for most creatures, other than BOLD Systems, DiscoverLife.org, UBC, Google, etc. and of course, the BugGuide.
If you like, you can send me an email anytime, so that we aren't generating emails to other people. I have lots of respect for everything that you teach me. Thanks!

From the key to species, range info for some of the look-alike species in the pepticus group: (1)
T. pennsylvanicus = eastern U.S. west to Texas, Nabraska, Montana (and should include much of western Canada, according to BOLD Systems and UBC)
T. pepticus = U.S. west to Arizona and California, Baja California
T. cressoni = Texas (male is unknown)

I don't know of any license plates occurring on the females in the genus Tachysphex. However, it is a more difficult genus, so I understand the concerns about this image and the other Red-bellies too. (see comments and move history below)

… Bob Biagi, 20 February, 2017 - 2:00pm

T. pennsylvanicus range

According to Krombein (1979): "N. Y. to Va. west to Idaho, Colo., N. Mex., Oreg., B. C.", i.e. the species is absent from the southeast. Bohart's (1994) range descriptions are very imprecise. Sorry, I don't have the time to follow your trail on Bugguide and check everything you post. I appreciate your enthusiasm but this group is not suitable for someone without access to a well-curated scientific collection (not even I can do it at the moment - that's why most images are unidentified). Many of the diagnostic characters mentioned in keys are hard to observe on images. Please stop moving images.

… Matthias Buck, 20 February, 2017 - 8:59pm

Moved - example image

Moved from Tachysphex.

Fantastic shot!
She might be a very nice example of a female Tachytes pennsylvanicus, but I'm not sure yet. (widespread) -- 10 flagellomeres and 6 abdominal segments = ♀

… Bob Biagi, 18 February, 2017 - 4:08pm

Moved

Moved from Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies.

… John S. Ascher, 28 October, 2012 - 8:48pm

Female - Tachytes sp.

Note, she has a short abdomen, with a wide apex and very robust legs. Please compare these two females and I think that you might agree with me. Perhaps Dr. Buck could tell you more than I can. (pygidial plate!)
Tachysphex: ♀

...verses, Tachytes: ♀

… Bob Biagi, 21 January, 2016 - 3:53pm