Hymenoptera

Horntails are related to wasps. The adults have thick, cylindrical black or metallic blue bodies from 2.5 to 4 cm long. The males are generally smaller, but more colourful than females. They sometimes have yellow or red markings. They have four translucent wings, and are powerful, skilful fliers. Their name comes from the horn-shaped appendage at the end of the abdomen, on both sexes. The females also have a long, slender egg-laying organ called an ovipositor, at the tip of the abdomen. The soft, whitish larvae can be up to 4.5 cm in length

These insects owe their name to the short golden hairs that cover the thorax and head. 

They have black antennae and orange or golden brown wings. The legs are orange, except for the coxa, the part nearest the body, which is black. Great golden digger wasps have a narrow waist and a bi-coloured abdomen: orange-red in front and black behind. Their total length is 15 to 27 mm, and males are slightly smaller than females.

These bees are recognizable by their metallic green head and thorax. The eyes are droplet shaped, and their antennae are highly visible. The female’s abdomen is black, with bands of white hair, while the male’s is black with hairless bands. Their translucent wings are slightly smoke-coloured or amber.

The males are 10 mm long and the females, 11 mm.

These insects generally resemble wasps, but their antennae are longer and more segmented.

In many species, the female’s abdomen ends in a filament even longer than the rest of the body. This egg-laying organ is called an ovipositor.

The vast ichneumon group comprises thousands of species, ranging widely in size (from 3 to 50 mm long) and coloration. Many are a single colour, varying from yellowish to black, while others are bicoloured, black and brown or black and yellow.

These black wasps have broken whitish or pale yellow bands in the centre of their abdomens, narrowing toward the tip. They have light-coloured legs and amber or greyish wings. They are 17 to 19 mm long.