#3654 · 🐝 bees, wasps & ants

Great Golden Digger Wasp

Sphex ichneumoneus

10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

1. © krancmm · CC BY-NC 4.0
2. © Alan Wells · CC BY-NC 4.0
3. © randyhaar · CC BY-NC 4.0
4. © Andy Lazere · CC BY-NC 4.0
5. © Fraser Reade · CC BY-NC 4.0
6. Brazoria, Texas, United States:© krancmm · CC BY-NC 4.0
7. High Park-Swansea, Toronto, ON, Canada:© Karen Yukich · CC BY-NC 4.0
8. Lucas County, OH, USA:© randyhaar · CC BY-NC 4.0
9. S Lakeshore Dr, Whispering Pines, NC 28327, USA:© Bob McCall · CC BY-NC 4.0
10. 1 Eagle Point Pk, 2601 Shiras Ave, Dubuque, IA 52001, USA:© Daughter Dad · CC BY 4.0

what is it?

Sphex ichneumoneus , known commonly as the great golden digger wasp or great golden sand digger is a wasp in the family Sphecidae. It is identified by the golden pubescence on its head and thorax, its reddish orange legs, and partly reddish orange body. This wasp is native to the Western Hemisphere, from Canada to South America, and provisions its young with various types of paralyzed Orthoptera.

base stats

NL sightings 0iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 35,921iNaturalist observations

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
35,921 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).