Spider-hunting wasp, but can I get a closer ID?

[Geoff F]

S. Devon. Corner of a field, an earth bank about 2 ft high with rough grass etc on the top.

Watched 2 or more of these wasps for some time. One, with red band on it's abdomen, was working on a burrow. Eventually when it appeared to be satisfied with the work, after quite a lot of time spent trying it out, it disappeared into the grass and soon reappeared with a spider. But this was obviously too big to fit the hole. It looked at the burrow and the spider; then when it realised it wasn't going to fit inside the wasp disappeared into the long grass again.

Eventually it returned, picked up the spider and took it back into the grass. I thought it would struggle to move the spider but it just picked it up and ran with it, too fast for me to photograph. I didn't see this wasp return to the hole.

Before and during this period there was another slightly smaller all black wasp in the vicinity. If it came too close, the red abdomen wasp attacked it and drove it away. It even went for a grasshopper which came too close.

Eventually the all black wasp was left alone and although it kept hunting along the bank and grass edge I didn't see it catch anything.

So, can I get any closer with an ID?

I am thinking Priocnemis possibly P. exaltata; red band on abdomen and pale tip to wing. But there are several possibilities for the all black individual. Maybe another form of Priocnemis or Anoplius nigerrimus? Are the legs too dark for a Pompilus?

Any suggestions?






The all black wasp.

[Jim Ford]

The black one is very much like the one I saw:

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/fo...tml#post340504

Jim

[oxycera]

microscope jobs really, but the suggestions put forward are not unreasonable, to my mind at any rate.

[eucera]

I'm sure Oxycera is right - difficult even with a microscope, but your suggestions seem within the bounds of possibility. The black one is certainly very like A. nigerrimus, and may indeed be that species.

[squishy]

maybe Priocnemis exultata for the top one. no ideas for the others

like said, there are several species of these kind of wasp, and you cant tell them apart without a DNA sample or a microscope (having both helps )

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the help. If I am on the approximate correct lines I could possibly be gradually learning something after all.

The second image is the same animal as the first photo but, with the wings folded and the light direction, the red isn't showing through.