African Mud Dauber vs Banks' Jumping Bristletail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute African Mud Dauber Banks' Jumping Bristletail
Scientific Name Sceliphron spirifex Machiloides banksi
Order Hymenoptera Archaeognatha
Family Sphecidae Machilidae
Size 20-28 mm 8-10 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Nectar Feeders Detritivores
Regions Throughout Africa United States, Canada
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

African Mud Dauber

A slender black and yellow wasp with an extremely narrow petiole waist. It constructs mud nests on walls and ceilings, provisioning them with paralyzed spiders.

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Did You Know?

A single mud nest cell may contain up to 25 paralyzed spiders stacked together as food for one developing larva.

Banks' Jumping Bristletail

A North American bristletail found in leaf litter and under stones. It has a cylindrical body covered in tiny scales.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few Archaeognatha species found in North America.