Identification: Entirely black to brownish with yellow scutellum. Female has 2 yellow abdominal stripes. Male has additional broken yellow lines on other segments.
Head: Black with yellow marks. Yellow mark on upper hind eye margin. Tear-drop shaped mark starting just above antenna bases, widening at lower face (clypeus). Clypeus black on female, yellow on male. Cheeks narrow, less than half width of eye. Mandibles yellow, tips dark.
Antenna: Base (scape) and pedicel yellowish-brown. Segments brownish-black.
Thorax: Brownish. Collar stripe bright yellow. Segment 1 (scutum) black with a yellow mark near wing base. Segment 2 (scutellum) raised area bright yellow with reddish between knobs. Yellow line on lower border. Segment 3 (propodeum) entirely black; male has plume of whitish hair down each side. Thorax sides black with bright yellow tubercle (pronotal lobe) and large yellow central spot; some long whitish hairs.
Wings: Wing knobs (tegulae) shiny, bright yellow. Wings tinted quite dark. Veins dark.
Legs: Legs reddish. Female has long hairs on hind shin (tibiae). Male hind thighs (femora) dark, tips light. Hind shin reddish with yellow streaks and spots.
Abdomen: Brown to black with yellow stripes.
Segment 1: Thin, wavy stripe in center of segment on female; straight across on male.
Segment 2: Wide stripe, narrowing at center.
No other marks on female.
Segments 3 to 5 Male: Thin line of 4 dashes on each segment, sometimes faded or missing.
Segment 6 Male: Black. Underside entirely black with extremely short yellowish hairs. Tip square. Male tip has 2 lobes.
Size: Female 10 mm; Male 7 to 8 mm.
Habitat: Deep, loose sand in prairies and along shorelines.
Food: Adults feed on flower nectar.
Flight Time: July in Ontario.
Life Cycle: Parasitic on Metallic Green Bees Agapostemon. Specifically recorded with Agapostemon splendens.
Comments: Essex County – Point Pelee National Park.
Kent County – Rondeau Provincial Park.
Lambton County – Pinery Provincial Park.
Bruce County – Inverhuron Provincial Park.
For information on synonyms, references and type specimens see next page