Tarantula Hawks (Pepsis sp. (Fabricius, 1804))
Scientific name: Pepsis sp. (Fabricius, 1804)
Common name: Tarantula Hawks
Other names: Pepsine Spider Wasp (all these common names are also used for the Hemipepsis genus).
French name:
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Pompilidae
Wingspan : Up to 5 cm for certain species.
Biotope:
Geographic area: Americas. The Hemipepsis genus is found in Africa, Asia and Australia.
Observation period : All year round.
Wasps of the Pepsis genus are large wasps with black or metallic blue bodies with brown or bluish-tinted wings.
They feed on nectar and sometimes fruits at the adult stage.
Reproduction is done by parasitizing tarantulas.
The female, equipped with a long stinger, stings the tarantula to paralyze it and lays an egg in its abdomen.
The larva develops by feeding on the body of the spider while leaving it alive while it develops. It will emerge as an adult.

Tarantula Hawks (Pepsis sp.) - Martinique, France - April 26th 2018
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Tarantula Hawks (Pepsis sp.)
I observed this large blue wasp at the start of the Jesuit track trail a few meters from an Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula spider.
The presence of one can explain the presence of the other and vice versa.

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