General Information

COMMON NAMES: Jewel Wasp, Emerald Cockroach Wasp GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Indonesia, Australia, New Caledonia; EXOTIC EXOTIC Hawai‘i (1941), Rarotonga (1955-58) COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group (RR only - rare); N.Group - absent; Land, lowlands; Parasite on cochroaches SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Biocontrol of cockroaches KEY FEATURES: Iridescent blue-green wasp to 20mmBL. WINGS fold flat on body, smoky with black veins. THORAX 50% of BL, rectangular with tapering front. ABDOMEN wide-ovoid with slender and short attachment. LEGS frontpair blue-green; two hindpairs with orange thighs, rest blue-green. SIMILAR SPECIES: See under Cuckoo Wasp (Chrysis).

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present    Makatea: -
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Ampulex compressa (Fabricius, 1781)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Hymenoptera; Apocrita; Aculeata; Apoidea; SPHECIDAE. COMMENT: Sometimes in Family AMPUCILIDAE.

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Biocontrol of cockroaches. Comments: Parasitic on American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana). Introduced from New Caledonia to Hawai‘i in 1941, and from Hawai‘i to Cook Islands in 1955 and 1958 [W&D79]

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen+photo, 5/2005, M.Poeschko, ID G.McCormack as Ampulex compressa 5/2005 based on BPBM specimen image.

References:
Special Reference: W&D79: Walker, Annette K. and Deitz, Lewis L. (1979) A review of entomophagous insects in the Cook Islands. New Zealand Entomologist 7(1):70-82; Kuhlmann, M. (2006) Fauna and Biogeography of the Bees and Wasps of the Cook Islands (Hymenoptera Aculeata), J. Hym. Res. 15(1):26-37.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM04b, zupM05b, zD04b

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