Emerald cockroach wasp

Emerald cockroach wasp
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Ampulicidae
Genus: Ampulex
Species:
A. compressa
Binomial name
Ampulex compressa
(Fabricius, 1781)
Synonyms
  • Ampulex sinensis Saussure, 1867
  • Chlorampulex striolata Saussure, 1892
  • Sphex compressus Fabricius, 1781

The emerald cockroach wasp or jewel wasp (Ampulex compressa) is a solitary wasp of the family Ampulicidae. It is known for its unusual reproductive behavior, which involves stinging a cockroach and using it as a host for its larvae. It thus belongs to the entomophagous parasites.