Tarantula Hawk   4 comments

Tarantula Hawk Near Cienega Creek — Images by kenne

As you can see, a tarantula hawk is not a hawk, but is a spider wasp (Pompilidae) that preys on tarantulas.
Tarantula hawks belong to any of the many species in the genera Pepsis and Hemipepsis. They are one of the
largest parasitoid wasps, using their sting to paralyze their prey before dragging it to a brood nest as living
food; a single egg is laid on the prey, hatching to a larva which eats the still-living prey. Source: Wikipedia

Posted May 3, 2021 by kenneturner in Cienega Creek Preserve, Information, Photography, Sonoran Desert, Spiders, Tarantula

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4 responses to “Tarantula Hawk”

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  1. What a cool looking bug!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    Kj4ta
    May 3, 2021 at 2:22 pm

  2. Sweet shots! My house has a lot of wasps around it that are constantly hunting for spiders.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog
    May 3, 2021 at 2:34 pm

  3. clever spider

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    bwcarey
    May 3, 2021 at 5:36 pm

  4. Just glad it’s not human sized!

    Like

    Reply
    long4h2o
    May 4, 2021 at 11:39 am

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