Australian Glow-Worm Firefly vs Indian Spider Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Australian Glow-Worm Firefly Indian Spider Wasp
Scientific Name Atyphella lychnus Hemipepsis tamisieri
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Lampyridae Pompilidae
Size 8-15 mm 25-45 mm
Habitat Forests Heathland
Diet Predators Predators
Regions Oceania Africa, Middle East
Conservation Data Deficient Least Concern

Australian Glow-Worm Firefly

One of Australia's few true firefly species, found in tropical Queensland rainforests. Females are wingless and glow from the forest floor.

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Did You Know?

Australia has surprisingly few firefly species compared to Southeast Asia, with most confined to the wet tropics of Queensland.

Indian Spider Wasp

A large dark-winged spider wasp from Africa and the Middle East that hunts large burrowing spiders. It is one of the biggest pompilids in the Old World.

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Did You Know?

Like its American tarantula hawk relatives, it possesses one of the most painful stings of any African insect.