Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp

Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp

Tachypompilus unicolor

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Los Angeles

In 3 days ~10%

9 Verified sightings at Los Angeles
October Best month

About the Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp

Tachypompilus unicolor, known as the western red-tailed spider wasp or red-tailed spider hunter, is a species of spider wasp from western North America. Especially in the subspecies T. u. cerinus, the body is often entirely red, with yellow, dark-margined wings.

It is found in Southern California, including the northern Baja California and the Channel Islands, north to the Okanagan Valley, southern British Columbia, eastwards through southwestern Idaho to western South Dakota and northern Utah.

Adults of T. unicolor feed at honeydew secretions and flowers. Females have been captured at honeydew from galls of Disholcapsis eldoradensis on Quercus lobata and at flowers of Asclepias erosa, Baccharis sarothroides, Chrysothamnus sp., Lepidospartum squamatum, and Wislizenia refracta. Males have been taken on the flowers of Calochortus catalinae, Hemizonia fasciculata, Rhamnus californica, and Xanthium spinosum. Both males and females visit the extrafloral nectaries of Helianthus and have been collected at flowers of Atriplex semibaccata, Cicuta sp., Eriogonum fasciculatum, Eriogonum gracile, and Foeniculum vulgare. The flight period in California... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
2 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp in Los Angeles?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 626th most-seen of the 851 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp in Los Angeles?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp in Los Angeles on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

Is Los Angeles the best place to see a Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp?

Among the best

Of the 2 cities where we can rate Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp sightings, Los Angeles ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in San Francisco (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Los Angeles (9 verified sightings), 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.

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