---
title: "Great Black Digger Wasp"
description: "Sphex pensylvanicus — Insekten & Spinnen. Sphex pensylvanicus, the great black wasp or great black digger wasp, is a species of digger wasp."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/de/animal/great-black-digger-wasp
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Great Black Digger Wasp

> Sphex pensylvanicus — Insekten & Spinnen. Sphex pensylvanicus, the great black wasp or great black digger wasp, is a species of digger wasp.

- Scientific name: *Sphex pensylvanicus*
- Category: `insects` (Insekten & Spinnen)
- Habitats: unknown
- iNaturalist observations: 26849
- Wikidata: [Q7576757](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7576757)
- iNaturalist taxon: [48738](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/48738)

## Names

- en: Great Black Digger Wasp
- fr: Grand sphex noir

## Countries with the most observations

US (13590), CA (1885)

## Summary

Sphex pensylvanicus, the great black wasp or great black digger wasp, is a species of digger wasp. It lives across most of North America and grows to a size of 20–35 mm (0.8–1.4 in). The larvae feed on living insects that the females paralyze and carry to the underground nest.

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

## Photo

![Great Black Digger Wasp](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/great-black-digger-wasp/medium.jpg)

Photo: jeffcherry · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/30648216

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/great-black-digger-wasp?lang=de` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).