Anoplius concinnus | |
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Anoplius concinnus figure 8 | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Pompilidae |
Genus: | Anoplius |
Species: | A. concinnus |
Binomial name | |
Anoplius concinnus | |
Synonyms | |
Anoplius concinnus is a widespread Eurasian species of spider wasp.
This species can be found throughout Europe as far west as Great Britain, North Africa and the Middle East and eastwards to Mongolia. In Britain it is found as far north as the Moray Firth [2]
Adult wasps run on wet stones exposed in gravel stream beds, flying between them and the stream banks, and can also be found at the margins of pools formed in sand and gravel pits. The flight period is from June to September in Britain. In the northern German lowlands there may be two generations per year. A. concinnus overwinters in the last larval stage and the males appear from the end of May. The males often break into cells to mate with newly emerged females.
The prey of A. concinnus consist of spiders of the family Lycosidae. The wasps search for the spiders under stones. In sand pit pools, females prey on spiders that run over the surface of the very shallow water near the edges. Females excavate multiple cells beneath stones which are stocked with spiders. In north-west Germany, A. concinnus has been found nesting in urban areas between paving stones; nests may be as deep as 9 cm and contain up to seven cells. Spiders, which are captured after the cells have been excavated, are placed one in each cell. Females may rob each other's cells, and fighting may occur. [2] Anoplius infuscatus has been recorded kleptoparasiting A. concinnus in Italy: female A. infuscatus may enter the nest of A. concinnus and destroy the egg already laid on the prey before placing one of its own. [3]
Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary, and most capture and paralyze prey, though members of the subfamily Ceropalinae are kleptoparasites of other pompilids, or ectoparasitoids of living spiders.
Sceliphron is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps, commonly referred to as mud daubers. They are solitary and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, often just inside of windows or vent openings, and it may take a female only a day to construct a cell requiring dozens of trips carrying mud. Females will add new cells one by one to the nest after each cell is provisioned. They provision these nests with spiders, such as crab spiders, orb-weaver spiders and jumping spiders in particular, as food for the developing larvae. Each mud cell contains one egg and is provided with several prey items. Females of some species lay a modest average of 15 eggs over their whole lifespan. Various parasites attack these nests, including several species of cuckoo wasps, primarily by sneaking into the nest while the resident mud dauber is out foraging.
Philanthus gibbosus, which is commonly referred to as a beewolf due to its predation practices, is a species of bee-hunting wasp and is the most common and widespread member of the genus in North America. P. gibbosus is of the order Hymenoptera and the genus Philanthus. It is native to the Midwestern United States and the western Appalachians. P. gibbosus are often observed to visit flowers and other plants in search of insect prey to feed their young. The prey that P. gibbosus catches is then coated in a layer of pollen and fed to the young wasps.
Ammophila sabulosa, the red-banded sand wasp, is a species of the subfamily Ammophilinae of the hunting wasp family Sphecidae. Found in northern Europe, the wasp is notable for the mass provisioning behaviour of the females, hunting caterpillars mainly on sunny days, paralysing them with a sting, and burying them in a burrow with a single egg. The species is also remarkable for the extent to which females parasitise their own species, either stealing prey from nests of other females to provision their own nests, or in brood parasitism, removing the other female's egg and laying one of her own instead.
Episyron rufipes, the red-legged spider wasp, is a red and black or completely black spider-hunting wasp.
Pompilus cinereus, the leaden spider wasp is the most widespread species of the Pompilus spider wasps, and throughout a large proportion of its wide distribution is the only species of Pompilus. It is the type species of the genus Pompilus and therefore of the family Pompilidae.
Anoplius is a genus of spider wasps in the family Pompilidae, called the blue-black spider wasps.
Auplopus carbonarius is a spider wasp of the family Pompilidae. Uniquely among the British group it constructs a nest of barrel-shaped cells in which spiders are stored and the larvae develop.
Anoplius nigerrimus is one of the most common spider wasps, or pompilids, in Europe. They are mostly black and the females are 6-8 mm long while males measure 5-8 mm. This species may be distinguished from the related Anoplius concinnus and Anoplius caviventris by the 20 setae, or hairs, on the forehead rather than 60 or 45.
Ceropales maculata is a kleptoparasitic spider wasp found in the holoarctic region.
Priocnemis perturbator is a relatively large species of spider wasp which is quite common in Europe. It was previously considered to be the same species as the closely related P. susterai which were lumped as P. fuscus and this means that some early observations of behaviour are not applicable to either species. Even now the two species need close observation under a microscope or hand lens to distinguish them from each other.
Cryptocheilus australis, the golden spider wasp, is an Australian pepsid spider wasp that was accidentally introduced to New Zealand around 1960.
Sphictostethus nitidus, the golden hunter wasp or red spider wasp, is a species of pepsid spider wasp endemic to New Zealand.
Arachnospila trivialis is a widespread spider wasp of sandy soil areas of the Palaearctic.
Anoplius viaticus, commonly known as the black-banded spider wasp, is a species of spider wasp. These wasps are known as spider wasps because the females capture spiders to provide their offspring with food. The paralysed spider is cached in a burrow, the wasp lays an egg on it, and when this hatches, the developing wasp larva consumes the spider. This species is found in sandy heathland across most of Europe.
Anoplius infuscatus is a species of spider wasp found mainly in Eurasia.
Tachypompilus analis, the red-tailed spider wasp is a species of spider wasp found in most of tropical and subtropical Asia, north to Japan. These spider wasps often hunt huntsman spiders.
Tachypompilus ferrugineus, the rusty spider wasp, red-tailed spider hunter, or sometimes red-tailed spider wasp is a species of spider wasp from the Americas. It preys mainly on wandering spiders, especially wolf spiders.
Poecilopompilus algidus is a species of spider wasp which is widespread in the Americas.
The bearded miner bee is a species of miner bee in the family Andrenidae. It is found in Europe & Northern Asia and North America. Other common names include the long-lipped andrena and the sandpit mining bee.