| Syntexis libocedrii | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Adult female from Oregon [1] | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Superfamily: | Siricoidea |
| Family: | Anaxyelidae |
| Subfamily: | Syntexinae |
| Genus: | Syntexis |
| Species: | S. libocedrii |
| Binomial name | |
| Syntexis libocedrii Rohwer, 1915 | |
Syntexis libocedrii, (also called the cedar wood wasp or incense-cedar wood wasp) is the only living species in the wood wasp family Anaxyelidae, within the Symphyta, though the family has an extensive Mesozoic fossil record. [2] This species is thus a "living fossil". It has the remarkable behavior of greatly favoring ovipositing in recently burnt incense-cedar ( Calocedrus ), red cedar ( Thuja ) or juniper ( Juniperus ). The wood is often still smoldering while the wasp is laying its eggs, and the larvae develop in the wood. [3] S. libocedrii occurs from the mountains of central California to southern British Columbia, but is very rarely seen, except by firefighters.
