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Project Noah Nature School
Ammophila sp.
Thread-waisted Sand Wasp of a metallic blue-black color with orange on the abdomen. About 2 cm in length. It was late afternoon and the wasp clasped onto a grass stem with it's mandibles to settle down for the night. These are predatory wasps (usually on moth and sawfly larvae) that make burrows in sandy soil. It was so determined to sleep that it paid no attention to the camera. Family Sphecidae.
Found on grass along the highway between San Cristobal de Las Casas and Tuxtla Gutierrez, Km 18.5, 1164 meters.
See a different species of Thread-waisted Sand Wasp from another area of the State of Chiapas (http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/239...). See these two articles by BugEric on Ammophila species. They are fascinating wasps with an incredible life history. http://bugeric.blogspot.mx/2010/11/wasp-.... htmlhttp://bugeric.blogspot.mx/2010/11/wasp-wednesday-ammophila-aberti.html.
Spotted on Jul 27, 2016
Submitted on Aug 26, 2016
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