Golden Hunting Wasp

Sphictostethus nitidus · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Pompilidae

Also called: Golden Hunter Wasp

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Golden Hunting Wasp
Photo: Auckland War Memorial Museum, CC BY

Females measure 8.5 to 22 mm and males 7.5 to 15 mm in length. The wasp is endemic to New Zealand, occurring on both main islands and some offshore islands.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Females range from 8.5 to 22 mm, males from 7.5 to 15 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Prefers open, exposed places and tolerates many habitats.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Preys on spiders such as Uliodon frenatus, Porrhothele antipodiana and Neoramia otagoa.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Males emerge 3 to 8 days before females; copulation occurs in foliage, often in bush crowns, with males actively pursuing females.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Males emerge 3 to 8 days before females; mating takes place in foliage.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Golden Hunting Wasp photo 3
Photo: Auckland War Memorial Museum, CC BY

Same family (Pompilidae)

Tarantula hawkTarantula hawkPepsis grossaCan stingBlack-banded Spider WaspBlack-banded Spider WaspAnoplius viaticusAsian Red-tailed Spider WaspAsian Red-tailed Spider WaspTachypompilus analisPriocnemis monachusPriocnemis monachusPriocnemis monachus

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphictostethus_nitidus

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

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