---
title: "American Pelecinid Wasp"
description: "Pelecinus polyturator — Insects & spiders. Pelecinus polyturator is a species of wasp in the family Pelecinidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/american-pelecinid-wasp
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# American Pelecinid Wasp

> Pelecinus polyturator — Insects & spiders. Pelecinus polyturator is a species of wasp in the family Pelecinidae.

- Scientific name: *Pelecinus polyturator*
- Category: `insects` (Insects & spiders)
- Habitats: `forest` (Forest), `grassland` (Fields & meadows), `urban` (Towns & gardens)
- iNaturalist observations: 13246
- Wikidata: [Q14406347](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14406347)
- iNaturalist taxon: [70997](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/70997)

## Names

- en: American Pelecinid Wasp
- es: Avispa negra cola larga
- fr: Portelance noir du hanneton

## Countries with the most observations

US (6238), CA (4944), CO (557), BR (407), EC (254), CR (179), MX (177), HN (51), PE (41), AR (28), GT (21), PA (21)

## Summary

Pelecinus polyturator is a species of wasp in the family Pelecinidae. The large (up to 7 cm) glossy black insects are the most common and well-known members of the family. The adults drink nectar, and they live in crop fields, woods, and suburban gardens throughout North, Central, and South America. Their antennae are long and the females have an elongated, cylindrical, articulated metasoma. They are parasitoids that lay their eggs directly into grubs of the June beetle (genus Phyllophaga) buried in the soil. The adults can be found in the late summer.
Some populations of Pelecinus polyturator are parthenogenic; females…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelecinus_polyturator

## Photo

![American Pelecinid Wasp](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/american-pelecinid-wasp/medium.jpg)

Photo: ajyuknis · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/181060872

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/american-pelecinid-wasp?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).