Arizona Naturalists >>> Sonoran Desert Naturalist >>> Field Guide >>> Insects, Spiders, Centipedes and Scorpions >>> Wasps, Bees and Ants

Sonoran Desert Hymenoptera

All wasps, bees and ants have four distinct life stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Only the adults can have wings, and with the exception of wingless forms there are always two pairs of wings. Many species possess a stinger at the posterior of the abdomen, but most sting only when provoked. Chewing mouthparts. Bees usually have also a specialized proboscis for gathering nectar and body setae (hair) for gathering pollen. Many important pollinator species belong to this order. There are thousands of species inhabiting the Sonoran Desert ecosystem. This guide shows only a select few.

Carpenter Bee Xylocopa californica Large, black fearsome-looking bees found especially around urban settings. Not dangerous. Frequent at paloverde flowers. More info	Leaf-cutter Bee Megachile sp. Very common bees at lantana and other urban flowers in the Sonoran Desert. Oval and round cuts from leaves used to build nests. More info	Honey Bee Apis mellifera A relatively large bee (as compared to most native bees), golden, orange-brown in color and abdomen banded orange and brown. Common everywhere. More info	Sonoran Bumblebee Bombus sonorus Large yellow and black bee with conspicuous pubescence. Fairly common at sunflowers, trumpets and snapdragons. More info	Cactus Bee Diadasia spp. Various shades of silvery-gray pubescence. Closely associated with cactus flowers. More info
Centris Bee Centris sp. Large bee with gray-haired thorax and nearly all black abdomen. Digs tunnels in soil to make solitary nest. More info	Digger Bee Anthophorula ? Distinctly banded abdomen on bee about the same size as a honeybee. This one at Larrea flowers. More info	Green Sweat Bee Agapostemon texanus Medium-sized bee with emerald-green thorax. Abdomen is banded yellow and black. Common around lantana. More info	Sweat Bee Lasioglossum Many, many difficult to separate species, but also very common in native habitats. Small (< 8mm) dark bees with sometimes a metalic sheen. More info	Sweat Bee #2 Lasioglossum sp. This bee looks so much like the previous. But there are many, many species of sweat bees in the Sonoran Desert More info
Four-banded Nomia Nomia tetrazonata Medium-sized bee with four white bands on the dark abdomen. This female is gathering pollen from a mallow flower. More info	Long-horned Bee Melissodes Long-horn refers to the rather stout and long antennae. A number of similar species. Males have very big antennae. More info	Cuckoo Wasp Chrysis ? Gaudy emerald green all over. Many similar species. Often on flowers. More info	Mallow Bee Diadasia ? Dense aggregation of solitary bee nests in soil. Common near irrigated fields. Each bee constructs its own tunnel and provisions it solely. More info	Sand Wasp Steniolia sp. Lively insects hunt flies and need sandy soil to nest. Males and females visit flowers. More info
Paper Wasp Polistes spp. Builds papery colony nests under eaves and other protected spots. Hunts on foliage and visits flowers for nectar. Comes to water to drink. More info	Potter Wasp Eumenes bollii Abdomen appears double jointed. Also has dark markings on rich red and yellow abdomen. Makes small pots of mud. More info	Potter Wasp Euodynerus pratensis Nectar and pollen are important energy sources of pot-building and hunting activities. More info	Mexican Tarantula Hawk Pepsis mexicana Very large wasp with long legs. This species is all blue-black. Frequents flowers and often seen hunting running along ground. More info	Tarantula Hawk Pepsis chrysothemis Large, long-legged, blue-black wasps. Wings orange or reddish. Males patrol hilltops and rocky slopes in search of females. Females hunt large spiders. Also come to flowers. More info
Pompilid Wasp Notocyphus dorsalis Orange and blue-black pattern warns of the hard sting. This is a medium-sized spider-hunting wasp. More info	Cricket Hunter Wasp Chlorion aerarium Large irredescent, green-blue wasp hunts along banks of washes and ravines. Frequently enters burrows and crevices in soil. More info	Katydid Wasp Sphex lucae Medium sized wasps typically 12 mm long. Thin thread 'waste' between reddish abdomen and thorax. Digs tunnels in bare soil areas. More info	Katydid Wasp (male) Sphex lucae Medium sized wasps typically 12 mm long. Thin thread 'waste' between reddish abdomen and thorax. Digs tunnels in bare soil areas. More info	Thread Waisted Wasp Ammophila Elongated, very narrow, first and second abdomenal segments. Often black marked with orange or red. Digs tunnels in loose soil. Beneficial. More info
Black-and-Yellow Mud Dauber Wasp Sceliphron caementarium Tubular chambers of mud are cemented to rain-protected surfaces and filled with paralyzed spiders. More info	8-Spot Scoliid Wasp Trielis octomaculata Long, slender, bee-like wasp with eight yellow marks on abdomen. More info	Grub Hunter Wasp Triscolia ardens Blue-black and brilliant orange-red. Visits flowers and hunts on ground for subterranean grubs. More info	Sawfly Dolerus tejoniensis Two pairs of wings as in all winged hymenoptera, but no stinger. More common species in Sonoran Desert are orange/red and black. Upper elevations in riparian habitats. More info	Red Ichneumon Compsocryptus Hundreds of kinds of ichneumons in the Sonoran Desert, this one showy red with black bands on wings. More info
Ophion Ichneumon Ophion (male) Male ichneumons wasps like this one lack the characteristic egg-laying organ called the ovipositor. More info	Chalcid Wasp Conura (?) Many of kinds of small chalcids in the Sonoran Desert, this one parasitized an insect that was in dead ocotillo branch. More info

Magnificent Velvet Ant Dasymutilla magnifica Wingless wasps that look like an oversized fuzzy ant and pack a powerful sting. Males are infrequently seen and have wings but no stinger. More info	Thistle-down Velvet Ant Dasymutilla gloriosa Ant-like, but with powerful sting. Crazy fast runner. Looks like a wind-blown ball of cottonwood fluff. More info	Native Fire Ant Solenopsis xyloni Frequent stinging ants found especially in and near urban lawns in the Sonoran Desert. More info	California Harvester Ant Pogonomyrmex californicus Harvester ants partial to sandy soils. Often red-colored. Fast moving on longer, thinner legs. More info	Red Harvester Ant Pogonomyrmex barbatus Large, conspicuous ants with wide, cleared nest areas. Gather seeds. Painful stings. Several species. More info
Rough Harvester Ant Pogonomyrmex rugosus Usually dark red to nearly black. Conspicuous striations on head. More info	Desert Harvester Ant Veromessor pergandei Harvester ant of low, hot desert. Jet black, slightly smaller than common harvester ants. More info	Spine-wasted Ant Aphaenogaster albisetosa Large, funnel-shaped nest holes. Legs very long and slender. More info	Arizona Leaf-cutter Ant Acromyrmex versicolor The most common leaf cutter ant in Arizona's portion of the Sonoran Desert. More info	Leaf-cutter Ant Atta mexicana Seen in columns carrying leaf pieces. Big range of sizes together. In Arizona found only at Organ Pipe Monument. More info
Big-headed Ant Pheidole xerophilla Gathers seeds like harvesters, but nests less conspicuous and most species smaller. Majors with greatly enlarged heads. More info	Carpenter Ant Camponotus festinatus Large, tan-coloured ants are almost entirely nocturnal. Emits formic acid when disturbed. One segmented petiole. More info	Carpenter Ant Camponotus ocreatus Nocturnal foragers on cacti, trees and shrubs. Large and distinctly two-colored. More info	Wood Ant Formica perpilosa? This ant is tending psylid bugs on stems of Fremont Cottonwood. Agile runners on woody plants. More info	Bicolored Pyramid Ant Dorymyrmex bicolor About 2 to 3mm in length. Nests are distinct pyramids in loose soil. Malodorous gas emitted when disturbed. More info
Acrobat Ant Crematogaster spp. Small ants usually on plants and with a spade-shaped abdomen (gaster). Several species. Small stinger is harmless to people. More info	Forelius Ant Forelius pruinosus Straw-colored ants that run fast and occur especially on cactus and shrubs. More info	Minute Ants Brachymyrex These ants are ubiquitous in the urban Sonoran Desert. Feed on honey dew and bird droppings. More info	Wasp-Like Ant Pseudomyrmex pallida Small, very slender ants most often seen moving quickly along plant stems. Small colonies. More info	Bear-trap Ant Odontomachus clarus Mesic habitat only including orchards. Long mandibles held open when foraging. More info

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Copyright Michael J. Plagens, page created 12 Aug. 2009, updated 20 Jan. 2019.		Web Sonoran Desert Naturalist