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
Tarantula on Bug Springs Trail (November 13, 2020) — Image by kenne
I spotted the young tarantula while hiking the Bug Springs trail last Friday
in the Santa Catalina Mountains. The trail’s elevation is between 5,000/6,000′
elevation as we continue hiking at lower levels of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
— kenne
Tarantula (Walking in Tanuri Ridge this Morning) — Images by kenne
— kenne
Tarantula — Images by kenne
This tarantula was a surprise siting Friday while hiking at about 4,000 feet on the Hutch’s Pools trail — that’s February 1st folks, not a likely time to see a tarantula since they live underground and prefer the warm summer nights when they spend time hunting.
For what it’s worth, my take on this guy is that it’s a young male (females a usually stockier and more brown) that is too horny to know that most females are not going to be out this time of year, especially in the daytime.
Let me know what you think!
kenne
Tarantula Hawk — Image by kenne
This blue-black body wasp with bright rust-colored wings was spotted today atop a giant saguaro cactus on the Brown Mountain Trail, but no sign of tarantula’s. Not sure what he was doing way up there.
kenne
