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Mystery Wasp

G

_Gnomey_

Gone But Not Forgotten
(ACCOUNT RETIRED)
Joined
Jan 21, 2003
Messages
95
Hi folks, today I found this little chap on my living room window (Thankfully on the outside!).

wasp.jpg


wasp2.jpg


This chap is around 3 - 4cm long, and easily the largest wasp I've ever come across, however I'm having a lot of trouble identifying it. Despite all of my googling of wasps, hornets and bees found in Australia, I'm yet to find one which looks even remotely like this fellow. I don't suppose anyone here knows what species this is? I'm dying to know.

Cheers!
 
could be a wood wasp? not very common creatures as far as i know but i am only imparting info from me dad!
did a google image search and there were a few pics which looked very similar.
certainly a weird lookin critter :eek!!!!:
 
Thanks for the replys folks. I don't think it's a Bembix, this critter was too big to be one of those. However, the Wood Wasp looks about the right size, and shares some similarities, but I'm still yet to find a photo of one that looks like the exact same critter.

I'll have to check out the distribution of Wood Wasps, see if they're found in my area.
 
Have a look at some hover flies as well, there are many species of hover fly that look remarkably like wasps and bees and the one in your photo looks like a hover fly to me.
 
True, many hoverflies are wasp mimics, but none have the long antennae that this beast has.

If it's not a Bembix, then it may be a sawfly (which includes woodwasps).
 
Cheers Kenneth, I Googled for images of the sawfly and some of them look very similar to this chap, so I think this case is solved ;)

Seems the larvae of certain species of sawflies are quite the pest in Australia.
 
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