Species Epipompilus aztecus

Epipompilus aztecus (Cresson, 1869) in Ashmead 1902, comb.rev. in Evens 1966

=Aulacostethus aztecus (Cresson, 1869) in Bradley 1944

=Epipompilus maximilliani Kohl, 1884

=Pompilus azteca (Cresson, 1869) in Cameron 1869

Orig. comb: Ferreola azteca Cresson, 1869

7.5-14 mm

After generic separation color is used to separate the species. The abdomen is black except for a pair of white spots on T2 and a white stripe on T5. The entire mesosoma is orange. The wings are hyaline and strongly twice-banded. The identifying characteristics are based entirely on female specimens; the male of this species is unknown from the literature.(1) Records of males have been identified on iNaturalist and agree with the genus. They differ from the female in having the pronotum orange but the rest of the thorax black and in lacking white markings on the abdomen.

♀:

♂:

LA to c. TX / Mex. to Brazil - Map (2)

rarely collected

Bradley, J.C. 1944. A preliminary revision of the Pompilinae (exclusive of the tribe Pompilini) of the Americas (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). The American Entomological Society, Transactions. 70: 23-157, 4 pl.

Fensler, N.A. (2018) Distribution of Epipompilus aztecus (Cresson, 1869) (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae) with a new record from Texas, United States. Check List 14 (1): 225–229. https://doi.org/10.15560/14.1.225

Silvestre, Rogerio, Tiago Henrique Auko, Vander Carbonari (2016). Insecta, Hymenoptera, Vespoidea, Pompilidae Epipompilus aztecus (Cresson, 1869): First Record in South America. Checklist 6 (4): 483-484. https://doi.org/10.15660/6.4.483

iNaturalist - male record #1 by Dusty