''Tachysphex nigerrimus'', also known as the black cockroach hunter, is a species of

wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...

in the family

Crabronidae The Crabronidae is a large family of wasps within the superfamily Apoidea. Taxonomy and phylogeny This family has historically been treated as a subfamily in the now-defunct Spheciformes group under the family Sphecidae. The Spheciformes inclu ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to New Zealand, the only species of ''Tachysphex'' that occurs there. It was nominated for New Zealand Bug of the Year in 2024, and came in 19th place of 20 contenders.

Name

This species is known as the black cockroach-hunting wasp or black cockroach hunter in English, and in

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

as ngaro wīwī (written "ngaro wiwi", without macrons, in older sources). ''Ngaro'' is a generic Māori word for fly or wasp, and ''wīwī'' conveys walking to distant places (as in the phrase ''ki wīwī ki wāwā'' for going

walkabout Walkabout is a term dating to the pastoral era in which large numbers of Aboriginal Australians were employed on cattle stations. During the tropical wet season, when there was little work on the stations, many would return to their traditional ...

). This name is used for all the New Zealand hunting wasps in the families

Eumenidae Potter wasps (or mason wasps), the Eumeninae, are a cosmopolitan wasp group currently considered a subfamily of Vespidae, but sometimes recognized in the past as a separate family, Eumenidae. Mud dauber wasps, which also build their nests with m ...

Pompilidae Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary (with the exception of some group-ne ...

, and

Sphecidae The Sphecidae are a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan family of wasps of the suborder Apocrita that includes Ammophilinae, sand wasps, mud daubers, and other thread-waisted wasps. The name Sphecidae was formerly given to a much larger g ...

, such as '' Pison spinolae'' and ''

Priocnemis monachus ''Priocnemis monachus'' is a species of spider wasp Endemism, endemic to New Zealand, where it is known as the black hunting wasp or ngaro wīwī. It hunts large Mygalomorphae, tunnelweb or Cantuaria, trapdoor spiders, paralysing them with its ...

.''

Taxonomy

The species was first described as ''Tachytes nigerrimus'' by Frederick Smith in 1856. The holotype is at the British Museum of Natural History.

Behaviour

''T. nigerrimus'' makes small, simple burrows in sand or in silty riverbanks above flood level, and can burrow into rock. The female ''T. nigerrimus'' hunts for native cockroaches (such as '' Celatoblatta'' or '' Parellipsidion''), which she stings, paralysing them, and drags or flies them back to her burrow. The curved, white eggs of ''T. nigerrimus'' are long by wide and are laid on and cemented to the cockroach and the larval wasp eats it alive. Each larva is typically provisioned with three cockroaches.

Distribution and habitat

''T. nigerrimus'' is endemic to New Zealand and is found throughout the North, South and Stewart Islands.

Gallery

Tachysphex nigerrimus 1453043.jpeg, ''T. nigerrimus'' side view, close up, observed near Dunedin, New Zealand Tachysphex nigerrimus 59466716.jpg, ''T. nigerrimus'' with paralysed cockroach Tachysphex nigerrimus 251282776.jpeg, ''T. nigerrimus''

References

External links

* ''Tachyspex nigerrimus'' discussed on

RNZ Radio New Zealand (), commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public service broadcaster and Crown entity. Established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995, it operates news and current affairs station, RNZ National, and a classica ...

Critter of the Week ''Critter of the Week'' is a weekly RNZ National programme about endangered and neglected native plants and animals of New Zealand. Beginning in 2015, ''Critter of the Week'' is an approximately 15-minute discussion between Nicola Toki (origi ...

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16 February 2024
Crabronidae Hymenoptera of New Zealand Insects described in 1856 Endemic insects of New Zealand {{Apoidea-stub