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Guides
Pepsis grossa
tarantula hawk, New Mexico state insect
Pepsis grossa is one of the largest spider wasps in North America, reaching up to 51 mm in females. This species hunts tarantulas exclusively, paralyzing them with a sting to serve as living food for its larvae. The sting is considered among the most painful of any insect, though not medically dangerous to humans. The species exhibits three distinct color morphs—orange-winged (xanthic), black-winged (melanic), and a dark-amber intermediate form (lygamorphic)—that are geographically segregated across its broad range from the southern United States to northern South America. It was designated the state insect of New Mexico in 1989.