Tachysphex nigerrimus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Tachysphex nigerrimus, also known as the black cockroach hunter, is a species of wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is endemic 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.
This species is known as the black cockroach-hunting wasp or black cockroach hunter in English, and in Māori 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). This name is used for all the New Zealand hunting wasps in the families Eumenidae, Pompilidae, and Sphecidae, such as Pison spinolae and Priocnemis monachus.
The species was first described as Tachytes nigerrimus by Frederick Smith in 1856. The holotype is at the British Museum of Natural History. 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... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Cockroach-Hunter Wasp sighting in Abel Tasman National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 35th most-seen of the 64 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black Cockroach-Hunter Wasp in Abel Tasman National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to November, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Cockroach-Hunter Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Black Cockroach-Hunter Wasp sightings, Abel Tasman National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Arthur's Pass National Park (New Zealand, about 10%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Black Cockroach-Hunter Wasp that you can see in Abel Tasman National Park (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Buff-Tailed Bumble Bee (about 30%), Common European Yellowjacket (about 20%) and European Paper Wasp (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Cockroach-Hunter Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Abel Tasman National Park (12 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
