May 19, 2019
Oxybelus analis...a little, tiny, fly hunting wasp.
Commonly found, at least by me, in open sandy areas where they act a lot like a bee looking for a nest location and so they get scooped up. They also have the interesting habit of impaling their little fly prey on their stinger to help hold the flies in place as they schlep them back to their nest. This specimen was collected in Cuba at the Guantanamo Military Base, perhaps along one of the many mini beaches that exist on the base. Photograph by Brooke Alexander.
