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NATIVE FLOWER WASP FACTS |
Identification
Thynnus zonatus is an Australian native flower wasp. The wingless female is black with bright yellow marking in bands on the abdomen. The males are smaller and have wings. They are parasitic wasps laying eggs on beetle larvae. They are sometimes confused with the introduced European or English Wasps, but Flower Wasps are not a pest species and are not aggressive to humans.
Size
length: females about 15mm
Habitat
coastal areas
Food
Adults feed on nectar.
Breeding
Flower wasps are parasitic wasps and lay their eggs on scarab beetle larvae. The female wasp burrows for beetle larvae, laying a single egg on a beetle grub. When the egg hatches, the wasp larva feeds on the grub.
Range
Tasmania, other states ??
Classification
| Class: | Insecta | | Order: | Hymenoptera | | Family: | Tiphiidae | | Genus: | Thynnus | | Species: | zonatus | | Common Name: | Native Flower Wasp |
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