Orange Sleepyhead - _TNY_3489
A lovely fuzzy orange Scoliid wasp (Thanks to gardener54 for help with the ID) that I found sleeping on a leaf one morning in the south of Phu Quoc, Vietnam. Campsomeris (Megacampsomeris) prismatica seems to be the best fit here. Male Scoliid wasps tend to have quite long antennae so I'm thinking this one is a female.
These guys are solitary parasitoids of scarab beetle larvae. The females burrow into the ground in search of these larvae and then use their sting to paralyze them. In this way, they are actually a quite important pest control, helping to keep the beetle population in check.
A portrait shot of the same guy here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/26106713917/
Orange Sleepyhead - _TNY_3489
A lovely fuzzy orange Scoliid wasp (Thanks to gardener54 for help with the ID) that I found sleeping on a leaf one morning in the south of Phu Quoc, Vietnam. Campsomeris (Megacampsomeris) prismatica seems to be the best fit here. Male Scoliid wasps tend to have quite long antennae so I'm thinking this one is a female.
These guys are solitary parasitoids of scarab beetle larvae. The females burrow into the ground in search of these larvae and then use their sting to paralyze them. In this way, they are actually a quite important pest control, helping to keep the beetle population in check.
A portrait shot of the same guy here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/26106713917/