Tiphiidae
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
| Tiphiid wasps | ||||||||||||||
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| Blue Ant (Diamma bicolor) female | ||||||||||||||
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| Genera | ||||||||||||||
Tiphiidae (also known as the Tiphiid wasps or flower wasps) is a family of large solitary parasitic wasps.
They are typically up to 30 mm long. The females are wingless, and hunt ground-dwelling and burrowing insects, such as mole crickets and beetle larvae. The prey is paralysed with the female's sting and an egg lain upon it so the wasp larva has a ready supply of food. The male is often smaller and has wings, the adults mating in the air, with the female carried by the male. Adults feed on nectar.
The sting can cause a severe burning sensation and swelling; in rare cases, it can cause a severe reaction (such as anaphylaxis) and be life-threatening.
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Examples
- Blue Ant (Diamma bicolor)
