Ampulex
| Ampulex | ||||||||||||
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Jewel wasp ( Ampulex compressa ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ampulex | ||||||||||||
| Jurine , 1807 |
Ampulex is a genus of digger wasps (Spheciformes) from the family Ampulicidae . It is widespread worldwide, with its main area of distribution being in the tropics . 118 species are known, two of which occur in Europe, one of them also in Central Europe.
features
The prothorax of the animals is clearly stretched like a neck, the front wings have only two cubital cells and a frontal lobe protrudes over the antennae roots. The last segments of the female gastric are laterally narrowed. The females also have a protrusion at the base of the mandibles . If the mandibles are clamped around the pronotum of a cockroach, this protrusion also clamps the thin lateral edge of the pronotum between the mandible base and the clypeus of the female, which is pulled out like a nose.
Way of life
The females of Ampulex feed their brood with cockroaches . Some species even hunt their prey in houses, which is why Ampulex compressa was introduced to Hawaii for pest control. Once the prey is packed, it is stabbed in the joint membranes of the hips ( coxes ) and in the neck.
Taxonomy (Europe)
- Ampulex fasciata Jurine, 1807
- Ampulex ruficollis Cameron, 1888
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ampulicidae. Wasps of Africa and Madagascar, accessed January 1, 2010 .
- ↑ Ampulex. Fauna Europaea, accessed January 1, 2010 .
- ↑ Manfred Blösch: The digger wasps in Germany: way of life, behavior, distribution . 1st edition. Goecke & Evers, 2000, ISBN 3-931374-26-2 , pp. 114 .
literature
- Manfred Blösch: The digger wasps in Germany: way of life, behavior, distribution . 1st edition. Goecke & Evers, 2000, ISBN 3-931374-26-2 .