This is a small black wasp approximately 5/8 inch or 17 mm with a bulky head and thorax. The first segment of the abdomen is narrow and stem-like becoming slightly wider in the next segment. The last 3 segments are bulbous. The antennae are short and black. The legs are black. The wings are a smoky brown color. The thorax is covered with short, whitish fuzz. The notched eyes and club-shaped abdomen are distinctive for this genus.
This wasp is probably uncommon in Fontenelle Forest. One was photographed in mid-August on the Fontenelle Nature Center building.
This solitary wasp is a member of the subfamily Crabroninae, Square Headed Wasps and Subgenus Trypargilum. These wasps provide paralyzed spiders for the developing larva. Most of our species are reported to nest in preexisting cavities which could include crevices in wood and channels in storm windows with small openings. One such nest had about 12 mud chambers each containing a small green crab spider.
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