- Body length winged male 20mm, wingless female 15mm
- It is common to see a male Flower Wasp carrying a wingless female, with tail to tail attached, flying between flowers. We took those pictures when the winged male carrying the wingless female flying between grasses while they were mating.
- We found another mating pair on Oct 2007 in Yimbun Park. They were resting on a leaf, flied away after we took a few photos.
- We found this winged male flower wasp searching for something amount plants, on mid summer Dec 2008 in Daisy Hill near Buhot Creek.
- The winged male flower wasp spends most of his time looking for a female. Flower wasps are parasitic wasps which their larvae parasite on soil-dwelling insects such as burrowing beetles larvae and mole crickets. The female Flower Wasps have to burrow through the soil to find the host and lay an egg on it. The female legs are modified for digging and her wings are lost. However, she, like the male wasp, feeds on nectar and has to visit the flowers. Wingless is a big disadvantage. They evolved a mating behaviour which the male help the female. Their mating time is very long. It is common to see a male Flower Wasp carrying a wingless female, with tail to tail attached, flying between flowers. The transportation is part of the mating procedures.
- Reference:
- 1. Wildlife of Tropical North Queensland - Queensland Museum Publications 2000, p128.
- 2. Specimen Image Index - ICDB, ENTOMOLOGY AT DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Yellow Flower Wasp - Agriomyia sp.
FAMILY TIPHIIDAE
This page contains pictures and information about Yellow Flower Wasps that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
