Arctic Parasitic Wasp vs Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Arctic Parasitic Wasp Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bee
Scientific Name Hyposoter horticola Hylaeus longiceps
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Ichneumonidae Colletidae
Size 6-10 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Tundra & Arctic Beaches & Coastal
Diet Herbivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, subarctic regions of Europe Oceania (Hawaii)
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Arctic Parasitic Wasp

A slender parasitic wasp with a black body, orange legs, and long antennae. Females search for caterpillar hosts on tundra vegetation. The larva develops inside the host caterpillar, eventually killing it.

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Did You Know?

This wasp has been extensively studied as a model for understanding host-parasitoid population dynamics in changing Arctic ecosystems.

Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bee

An endemic Hawaiian bee with distinctive yellow facial markings, found in dry coastal and lowland habitats. It nests in hollow plant stems and beetle borings. Hawaiian Hylaeus are the only bees native to the Hawaiian Islands.

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Did You Know?

Hawaiian yellow-faced bees were the first bees in the United States to be listed under the Endangered Species Act, in 2016.