Katydid-predator
Guides
Sphex jamaicensis
Jamaican Digger Wasp
Sphex jamaicensis is a solitary thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae. It is known from Florida, Cuba, the Bahamas, and Jamaica. Like other members of the genus Sphex, females are fossorial diggers that construct burrows in soil. The species was originally described by Drury in 1773 in the genus Vespa, creating a complex nomenclatural history involving a secondary homonym with a later Fabricius 1775 description.
Sphex pensylvanicus
Great Black Wasp, Great Black Digger Wasp
Sphex pensylvanicus is a large, solitary digger wasp native to North America. Females construct underground burrows and provision them with paralyzed orthopteran prey, primarily katydids, for their larvae. Adults feed on nectar from diverse flowering plants and serve as pollinators. The species exhibits protandry, with males emerging before females in the breeding season. Despite their formidable size and appearance, they are not aggressive toward humans and sting only when handled.
Sphex tepanecus
Sphex tepanecus is a species of thread-waisted digger wasp in the family Sphecidae. It is a large solitary wasp known from the western United States, with records from Arizona, Colorado, and potentially Idaho. Like other members of the genus Sphex, it constructs subterranean nests and provisions them with paralyzed prey for its larvae. The species was first described by de Saussure in 1867.