Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp

Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp

Evania appendigaster

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Cumbres de Monterrey National Park

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

13 Verified sightings at Cumbres de Monterrey National Park From 2019 to 2026
63 In all 6 parks
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp

Evania appendigaster, also known as the blue-eyed ensign wasp, is a species of wasp in the family Evaniidae. Its native range is not known, but it likely originated in Asia (Specifically tropical or oriental regions). Today it occurs throughout the tropics and subtropics and in many temperate regions. As with the rest of its family, the blue-eyed ensign wasp is a parasitoid known for specializing on cockroach eggs.

This is one of the larger ensign wasps, with forewings up to about 7 millimeters long. It is distinguished from other species by the wide separation of the first and second sections of the coxa, the segment of the leg that attaches to the body. Its body is black in color with contrasting blue eyes. The abdominal petiole, the constricted stalk that holds the posterior section of the abdomen, or gaster, is attached high on the body. The gaster is laterally compressed and oval to nearly triangular in shape, held in a flaglike fashion and resembling an ensign, a characteristic of the family that inspired the common name ensign wasp.

This wasp reproduces by laying eggs into egg cases, or oothecae, of cockroaches. The wasp larvae use the cockroach... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
2 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
3 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
4 Galápagos Islands 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
5 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Casablanca 🇲🇦 Morocco
~30%
2 Davao City 🇵🇭 Philippines
~30%
3 Karachi 🇵🇰 Pakistan
~20%
4 São Luís 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
5 Valencia 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
6 Mendoza 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
7 Santo Domingo 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~20%
8 Manaus 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
9 Valencia 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~20%
10 Dhaka 🇧🇩 Bangladesh
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp sighting in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 188th most-seen of the 431 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.

When is the best time to see a Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park?

June, August and October

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July, September and November–May, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Cumbres de Monterrey National Park the best place to see a Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp?

Among the best

Of the 6 parks where we can rate Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp sightings, Cumbres de Monterrey National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tijuca National Park (Brazil, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp live in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park?

Same order: Hymenoptera

The closest relatives of the Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp that you can see in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Shimmering Golden Sugar Ant (about 20%), Chicatana Leafcutter Ant (about 10%) and Pachycondyla villosa (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (13 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.

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