Pepsis grossa is a very large species of pepsine spider wasp from the southern part of North America, south to northern South America. It preys on tarantula spiders, giving rise to the name tarantula hawk for the wasps in the genus Pepsis and the related Hemipepsis. Only the females hunt, so only they are capable of delivering a sting, which is considered the second most painful of any insect sting; scoring 4.0 on the Schmidt sting pain index compared to the bullet ant's 4.0+.[2] It is the state insect of New Mexico.[3] The colour morphs are the xanthic orange-winged form and the melanic black winged form. In northern South America, a third form, known as "lygamorphic", has a dark base to the wings which have dark amber median patches and a pale tip.[4]
Pepsisgrossa is a very large species of pepsine spider wasp from the southern part of North America, south to northern South America. It preys on tarantula...
Pepsis and three species of Hemipepsis are found in the United States, primarily in the deserts of the southwestern United States, with Pepsisgrossa...
Pepsis (from Ancient Greek πέψι lit. pepsis meaning 'digestion, cooking') is a genus of spider wasps belonging to the family Pompilidae. Species within...
spiders of the same size and frequency being present. In studies on Pepsisgrossa (formerly P. formosa), a pompilid of the southwestern United States...
peptide. Schmidt later gave the sting of a tarantula hawk species, Pepsisgrossa, a rating of a 4, which he described as "blinding, fierce [and] shockingly...
males. The wings of P. mildei are duller overall than those of Pepsisgrossa or Pepsis cinnabarina. Per Edward Essig, Milde's tarantula-hawk wasp usually...
threatens them. It is the main species preyed upon by the tarantula hawk, Pepsisgrossa, in areas where the two species overlap. Bites from the Texas brown...
States). They resemble red-winged Pepsis species and are possibly Batesian mimics. They occur in sympatry with Pepsisgrossa. Loew, Hermann (1866). "Diptera...
Fish: Rio Grande cutthroat trout (1955) Insect: Tarantula hawk wasp (Pepsisgrossa) (1989) Reptile: New Mexico whiptail lizard (Cnemidophorus neomexicanus)...
City Missouri United States 1821 Decatur Alabama United States 1822 Ponta Grossa Paraná Brazil 1822 Jackson Mississippi United States 1823 Tampa Florida...