Tiphia femorata
| Beetle-killing wasp | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Tiphiidae |
| Genus: | Tiphia |
| Species: | T. femorata |
| Binomial name | |
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Tiphia femorata Fabricius, 1775 |
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| Synonyms | |
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The beetle-killing wasp, Tiphia femorata, is a species belonging to the family Tiphiidae, subfamily Tiphiinae. This species is present in most of Europe, the eastern Palearctic ecozone, and North Africa.
The adult males grow up to 5–12 mm (0.20–0.47 in) long, while females reach 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in). The body is completely black, and the tibiae and femora of the middle and rear pairs of legs are reddish brown.
They can be encountered from June through September feeding on nectar and pollen of flowers (especially on Apiaceae species).
T. femorata parasitizes the larvae of beetles (various species of Scarabaeidae) by a sting. The females can smell larvae in the soil, then they dig up and drop an egg in their victims.
Dead female specimen; wings unfolded, antennae curled
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Wikipedia