Minnesota Seasons - pelecinid wasp


pelecinid wasp				More photos…
Pelecinus polyturator

Taxonomy	Order:	Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies)
	Suborder:	Apocrita (wasps, ants and bees)
	Superfamily:	Proctotrupoidea (vespoid wasps)
	Family:	Pelecinidae (pelecinids)

Status	Common
Flight/Season	July to August
Habitat	Deciduous forests
Size	Male: ½″ to ⅝″ or 1″ long Female: 2″ to 2⅜″ long

Identification	This is a black, shiny, wasp-like insect. Females can reproduce without fertilization, and males of this species are rare. Males are ½″ to ⅝″ or 1″ long. The posterior end of the abdomen is club-shaped. The females are 2″ to 2⅜″ long, relatively common, and distinctive. The abdomen is long and slender. It has six segments and is five times the length of the rest of the body. The hindwings of both sexes are ⅓ the length of the forewings.

Similar Species

Larval Hosts	June beetle (Phyllophaga) grubs

Adult Food	Nectar

Life Cycle	The female thrusts its ovipositor into the soil to detect beetle grubs. It lays a single egg on each. The wasp larva burrows into and feeds on the grub. It overwinters in the soil.

Behavior

Range			Sources: 7.

Sightings				Old Mill State Park Spring Creek Prairie SNA Wild Indigo Prairie SNA

Comments	This species is the only member of the family Pelecinidae that occurs in North America north of Mexico.

Images


Synonyms

Common Names	American pelecinid pelecinid wasp