A very tricky wasp mimic moth

23 points · 8 comments · view on lemmy.world

8 Comments

psyspoop@kbin.social · 4 pts · 3y (4 replies)

Found it in Northeast Nebraska hanging out on a plant on the edge of a tallgrass prairie and woodland while surveying for mycorhizal fungi. Thankfully I like taking pictures of wasps since I 100% thought this was a Polistes, otherwise I might have just walked on.

If anyone has any idea on an ID, it'd be much appreciated.

rlhe@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 3y (3 replies)

Does it look like these: https://bugguide.net/node/view/15985

psyspoop@kbin.social · 1 pts · 3y (2 replies)

That's also the taxon that I came to last night when I was trying to figure it out. Maybe! I have it up on bugguide too now.

rlhe@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 3y (1 reply)

Nice. Post a link when there is more confirmation! Great find and thanks for sharing!

psyspoop@kbin.social · 2 pts · 3y

Nothing on bugguide so far except confirming it's in Sesiidae. On my iNat record, I had a Sesiidae expert ID it as Vitacea polistiformis

Valsa@mander.xyz · 3 pts · 3y

Wow, really clever disguise! Even the wing shape looks waspish.