Odynerus dorsalis, one of the largest of North American Eumenine wasps, may be recognized by the following characters.
Clypeus of female about one and one-third times as wide as long, the straight apical margin about one-fourth of the grearest width, with slight, blunt edges, the surface flattened medially and with scattering, medium-sized punctures; of male, slightly wider than long, the apical margin very slightly curved inward or almost straight, with the edges more prominent and sharper than in the female, the surface flattened medially and much more sparsely punctate than in the female.