Catocheilus sp. (genus)

Smooth flower wasp at Tathra, NSW

Catocheilus sp. (genus) at Tathra, NSW - 19 Oct 2019
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Identification history

Unidentified 19 Oct 2019 MikeHealey

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User's notes

2 seen over 2 days. First was lethargic and found it dead the following day when I found the one pictured. This one flew off when I took the photo.

2 comments

KerriLee wrote:
   20 Oct 2019
Thanks for posting this Mike. Catocheilus is a large flower wasp, particularly the males. This is a male, as the females are wingless. There are many species of flower wasps, and most are much smaller than this one. They are sometimes seen as a mated pair - the male carries the female about, providing her with food before she drops to the ground where she'll burrow underground and lay her eggs on beetle larvae. There's a bit more info here: https://atlasoflife.org.au/resources/know-your-wasps
KerriLee wrote:
   20 Oct 2019
Hi again Mike. I've just come across a comment by Roger Farrow (in his book 'Insects of South-eastern Australia'), relating to Catecheilus ... "The harmless male is often mistaken for a European Wasp" (p 42). So you are not alone in wondering if this was a problem species. On the contrary, these wasps can play a role in plant pollination and can't sting (as males wasps, of all species, lack stingers).

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Location information

Sighting information

  • 1 - 3 Abundance
  • 19 Oct 2019 08:30 AM Recorded on
  • MikeHealey Recorded by

Species information

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