Spider wasp - possibly
So exciting - I think I've finally ID'd a small native wasp. I THINK it's a zebra spider wasp (Turneromyia sp.), it certainly looks like one. I know it's another crap picture, but I'll try to do better if I get to see it again. There's another angle in extras.
Very very flighty, so I used my 150 lens (which is like a 300 lens on a DSLR). It's only a cheapie, but by golly it's great for macros, when you don't want to get right in the face of what you are trying to photograph.
These are mighty little wasps - they lay their eggs either in or on the host spider (come to think of it, I haven't see Desie for a while), and the larvae eat the spider. Gruesome I know - but how fascinating. I guess it's a question of eat or be eaten because I'm sure the spider would have no hesitation in chomping on this little critter if it got caught in the web.
If you really want to read the loathsome details, Wikipedia has a great article on spider wasps in general.
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