
	Description
	Tachytes distinctus is a common, large, solitary, sand-loving wasp.

	Size
	5 ⁄16″to ¾″

	Similar Species



	Habitat



	Biology
	Season
	July through September

	Behavior


	Life Cycle
	It nests in the ground

	Larva Food
	Paralyzed grasshoppers and katydids, especially short-horned grasshoppers

	Adult Food
	Flower nectar


	Taxonomy
	Order	Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies)
	Suborder	Apocrita (narrow-waisted wasps, ants, and bees)
	Infraorder	Aculeata (ants, bees, and stinging wasps)
	Superfamily	Apoidea (bees and apoid wasps)
	Family	Crabronidae (square-headed wasps, sand wasps, and allies)
	Subfamily	Crabroninae (square-headed wasps)
	Tribe	Larrini
	Subtribe	Gastrosericina
	Genus	Tachytes (sand-loving wasps)

	This species was formerly placed in the family Sphecidae. Most of the wasps in that family are now in the new family Crabronidae, the former family now restricted to what was formerly the subfamily Sphecinae. The family Crabronidae currently contains six subfamilies, more than 200 genera, and over 9,000 species. Eventually, all of the subspecies will probably be raised to family status.

	Subordinate Taxa
	sand-loving wasp (Tachytes distinctus bimini) sand-loving wasp (Tachytes distinctus distinctus)

	Synonyms
	Larra fulvipes Larrada fulvipes Tachytes austrinus Tachytes contractus Tachytes elongatus Tachytes fulvipes Tachytes yucatanensis

	Common Names
	Though common, this species has no common name. The common name of the genus Tachytes is sand-loving wasps, and it is applied here for convenience.


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	Bill Reynolds

	By observing the behavior of this wasp and the size of it's eyes, I am assuming the wasp is a male. He has taken over a freshly disturb patch of soil and was actively chasing every flying insect out of his territory. He won't let me get very closer, so I had to shoot from a distance.




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Bill Reynolds 8/12/2017	Location: Pennington Co. MN By observing the behavior of this wasp and the size of it's eyes, I am assuming the wasp is a male. He has taken over a freshly disturb patch of soil and was actively chasing every flying insect out of his territory. He won't let me get very closer, so I had to shoot from a distance.



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sand-loving wasp