Emerald Cockroach Wasp vs Acrobat Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Emerald Cockroach Wasp Acrobat Ant
Scientific Name Ampulex compressa Crematogaster scutellaris
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Ampulicidae Formicidae
Size 22 mm 3-5 mm
Habitat Forests Woodlands
Diet Nectar Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Africa, Asia, Oceania Southern Europe, North Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Emerald Cockroach Wasp

A brilliant emerald-green wasp that zombifies cockroaches. It delivers precise stings to the cockroachs brain, removing its escape reflex. Then leads it by the antenna like a dog on a leash.

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Did You Know?

The emerald cockroach wasp performs neurosurgery — it stings a cockroach twice in precise brain locations to disable its escape reflex, then walks it to a burrow like a zombie.

Acrobat Ant

A Mediterranean ant with a heart-shaped abdomen it raises over its thorax when alarmed. They nest in dead wood, old walls, and cork oak bark.

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Did You Know?

They can raise their abdomen over their head to smear venom on attackers, earning them the name acrobat ants.