Bug FAQPrionyx canadensis
Prionyx canadensis · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Sphecidae
Female Prionyx canadensis lack the silvery hairs on the thorax that are present in similar species. This absence of silvery thoracic hairs helps separate it from P. parkeri and P. thomae.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Females can be identified by the missing silvery hairs on the thorax.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
The lack of silvery thoracic hairs distinguishes it from the look-alike species P. parkeri and P. thomae.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 15 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Wyoming, Washington, Texas, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Utah.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
Questions people ask
How can I tell Prionyx canadensis apart from similar species?
Check the female’s thorax to if it has no silvery hairs, it is P. canadensis, not P. parkeri or P. thomae.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Sphecidae)
Yellow-legged Mud-dauber WaspSceliphron caementariumCan sting
Common Blue Mud-dauber WaspChalybion californicumCan sting
Great Golden Digger WaspSphex ichneumoneus
Great Black Digger WaspSphex pensylvanicusCan sting
Gold-marked Thread-waisted WaspEremnophila aureonotata
Mexican Grass-carrying WaspIsodontia mexicanaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prionyx_canadensis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.