Pepsis mildei
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Pepsis mildei, also known as Milde's tarantula-hawk wasp, is a species of predatory spider wasp native to the Western Hemisphere. These wasps capture live tarantulas to feed to their larva; the adults graze on flowers. Tarantula hawks generally have no meaningful predators. The wing color is black and/or orange, with rare leucistic wing coloration known in males. The wings of P. mildei are duller overall than those of Pepsis grossa or Pepsis cinnabarina. Per Edward Essig, Milde's tarantula-hawk wasp usually measures 20–30 millimeters in length and is a metallic blue-black overall, with "the antennae reddish, dusky at extreme base in the male and the basal third dusky in the female; the wings fiery red with the bases and apices dusky". In all tarantula wasps, the antennae can be used to distinguish between males and female: males are straight or gently arced, while the females have curved antennae. The lifespan of males is one to two months, while female Milde's tarantula-hawk wasps live for a longer span of time.
Pepsis mildei's range appears to be North America and Central America. In the U.S. this wasp is relatively common and widely distributed; it has been documented... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Milde's Tarantula-Hawk Wasp sighting in San José on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 158th most-seen of the 239 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and October–February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Milde's Tarantula-Hawk Wasp in San José on a given day, against under 5% in March–July and September, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Milde's Tarantula-Hawk Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Milde's Tarantula-Hawk Wasp sightings, San José has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Mexico City (México, under 5%) and Los Angeles (United States, under 5%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Milde's Tarantula-Hawk Wasp that you can see in San José (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Hairy-Headed Leafcutter Ant (about 30%), Narrow Stingless Bee (about 10%) and Eulaema polychroma (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Milde's Tarantula-Hawk Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in San José (8 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.
