Australian Caterpillar Hunter vs Thread-waisted Wasp
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Australian Caterpillar Hunter | Thread-waisted Wasp |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Calosoma schayeri | Ammophila sabulosa |
| Order | Coleoptera | Hymenoptera |
| Family | Carabidae | Sphecidae |
| Size | 20-28 mm | 16-24 mm |
| Habitat | Grasslands | Beaches & Coastal |
| Diet | Predators | Predators |
| Regions | Australia | Europe, Asia |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Australian Caterpillar Hunter
An Australian caterpillar hunter with dark metallic elytra. It is an important natural enemy of pasture and crop caterpillar pests.
Did You Know?
It is attracted to lights at night and sometimes appears in large numbers around buildings during moth outbreaks.
Thread-waisted Wasp
An elegant wasp with an extremely narrow petiole and red-banded abdomen. It hunts caterpillars and carries them clasped beneath its body to sandy burrows.
Did You Know?
It uses a small pebble as a tool to tamp down the sand plug sealing its burrow, one of the earliest documented cases of tool use in insects.