Broad-Horned Onitis vs American Cuckoo Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Broad-Horned Onitis American Cuckoo Wasp
Scientific Name Onitis caffer Chrysis angolensis
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Chrysididae
Size 16-26 mm 7-12 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Dung Feeders Parasites
Regions Southern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Broad-Horned Onitis

A large, dark brown to black tunneler with massive forelegs in males. The prothorax is greatly enlarged. It digs deep vertical shafts beneath cattle dung and is primarily nocturnal. Males use their forelegs in combat.

💡

Did You Know?

The enormous forelegs of the male serve double duty, used both for digging and for grappling with rival males.

American Cuckoo Wasp

A metallic green and blue cuckoo wasp found across sub-Saharan Africa. It parasitizes mud-nesting wasps and bees on rocky outcrops and buildings.

💡

Did You Know?

Despite its species name referencing Angola, it is found throughout most of tropical and southern Africa.