I think Vespid, but could be Crabronid
it's constantly flicking its wings while walking around, so it's hard to get good pictures of my frequent porch buddy. (I assume it's the same individual based on my observations and understanding of the type of wasp.) it left the spider for a while then came back and dragged it away, seemingly pausing to sting it again periodically, though I saw no signs of life from the spider.
I was thinking subtribe Gastrosericina, but the AI was "pretty sure" it was in genus Miscophus, so I backed off to subfamily out of caution. (I will be pretty shocked if the AI was correct about Miscophus, but, in fairness, the AI's second candidate was Larropsis).
I never did see this wasp perch. It kept hovering over this small patch of ground, with dead vegetation over sandy soil.
This wasp was very small, although the fact that I never saw it land doesn't help me give an estimate.
The immediate vicinity had Tachytes pepticus (a male clearly patrolling for females), Hoplisoides nebulosus (female), and several Tachysphex terminatus complex individuals (females with burrows, one with prey) -- as well as a couple of ground-nesting bees.
The wasp clearly has basal two terga red with the remainder black, and some silver apically on the first four terga. Apex of abdomen very pointed; I can't tell if there are 6 or 7 terga (but I would guess 6).
I think? On lasthenia
打獵行為,看起來已麻醉蜚蠊、正在拖行中。
Pousou trazendo o corpo de um arapuá (visível na terceiro foto) e começou a cavar na areia.
I think she tackled the fly (or whatever the prey is) off of my shoulder because she bounced right off of me and then tumbled onto this plant to subdue it
Sceliphron curvatum, also known as the Asian mud-dauber wasp, is an insect in the genus Sceliphron of the wasp family Sphecidae. Like all wasps of this genus, it is a solitary species and builds nests out of mud.
Dragging away a moth https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/202123612
Note: there are two wasps in these photographs. This observation pertains to the wasp that's on the right in the first photo, at bottom in the second, and at the top right in the third.
The second wasp will have its own observation eventually: it is a female Episyron quinquenotatus, which I had been following as it explored a sandy path. The two wasps had this encounter, including a brief tussle (not included, since the single photograph was not in focus), and then the subject of this observation left the scene.
Updated: March 13: I've added 4 additional images of the male, which actually did stay in one spot for several moments after its initial encounter with the female.
I think I counted 11 flagellomeres, so this would be a male. Is it a male Episyron quinquenotatus? The white markings on terga 2 and 3 certainly might suggest that (although the markings on terga 3 are not basal, as they are in the female). However, I haven't been able to find a photo online that shows the unique features of this wasp: the pinkish-silvery coloring of the first tergum is something I have yet to see on any wasp I've encountered, and I couldn't find anything like it in my browsing through BugGuide or iNaturalist. It seems to be the result of appressed pubescence. Also note that there is white basally on the outer surface of the hind tibiae.
If I could find anything in my copy of Evans I might (or might not) be able to get somewhere, but...
Wings veins show moderately well in the last photo, if they help.
Help, please.
A female landed on the path in front of me and started mining the edges of a boot print made in muddier days; the exposed substrate was a mix of silt and sand and decomposing leaves; I assume she uses mud to partition or plug her nest cavity.
This is not T. politum, due to white hair on thorax, but is it T. lactitarse or T. clavatus? Note coloration of hind tarsi (including the extent of dark basally on hind basitarsus) and the white erect hairs on the thorax. The wings are clouded brownish apically, but the forewings at least have some extensive darkening centrally, reflecting purple and blue; the abdomen appears polished. The last photo shows that there is a curious downward bend on the interior (posterior) apical spur on the hindtibia -- I'm not sure if that's appropriate or not, but it seemed interesting. Similarly for the silvery pubescence forming a vertical streak on the side of the thorax below the tegula, which does at least show in other photos of the two species. There is also silvery pubescence on the gena.
At this point I have no idea how to tell lactitarse and clavatus apart. Clues would be appreciated.
Thinking about Anoplius americanus americanus.
On Clustered mountain mint in my pollinator meadow. Surrounded by woods with a creek. Clay/sandy, rocky soil.
Have more images if I missed a needed angle.
Found at about 3300 ft. in elevation, in typical Sonoran Desert thornscrub. A fairly small pompilid.
Appears to have a brown/orange mark on abdomen
Tiny wasps on the leaves of a Streambank Springbeauty plant, flying off to nearby stones and returning.