Common sand wasp
| Common sand wasp | ||||||||||||
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Common sand wasp ( Ammophila sabulosa ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ammophila sabulosa | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The common sand wasp ( Ammophila sabulosa ) is a hymenoptera from the Sphecidae family . The species is common in Central Europe and not endangered.
features
The animals reach a body length of 16 to 24 millimeters (females) or 14 to 19 millimeters (males) and are thus the largest sand wasps in Central Europe.
The thorax , like the head, is black and hairy a little longer than that of the other sand wasps. The mesothorax is also hairy on the back. The abdomen is black at the front of the constriction, the middle area is orange-red, the rear half is black and has a more or less pronounced blue tinge. The propodeum is completely hairy.
The second cubital cell of the forewings , unlike the similar sand wasp ( Ammophila campestris ), is not petiolate, the third cubital cell is trapezoidal. The species can be confused with the other sand wasp species, but can be clearly distinguished from them if the characteristics are known.
Occurrence
The common sand wasp is found in Europe and Asia, north to about the Arctic Circle and east to Mongolia. It rises in the mountains to around 2000 meters above sea level. It can be found everywhere in Central Europe, but occurs in low population densities, although it is the most common sand wasp species here. They are found in sandy, lightly vegetated places, such as in sand and gravel pits, or on embankments with little vegetation, but also in settlement areas. It sometimes flies in two generations from mid-May to October.
Way of life
In contrast to the three-phase sand wasp ( Ammophila pubescens ), the common sand wasp only transports one or two - sometimes very large - caterpillars into its nest. Preference is given to catching caterpillars of owl butterflies (Noctuidae), which are hairless. The caterpillar is grasped with the mandibles and brought to the nest on foot over several meters. A maximum of short flight jumps are made, even if the prey is small, which also distinguishes the species from the three-phase sand wasp. Again and again the prey is put down for orientation. The nest, in which only one cell is created, reaches a depth of 5 to 20 centimeters. The excavated sand of the nest is taken away on foot and thrown close to the nest. There is no brood care, the nest entrance is closed by a stone or something similar after the prey has been brought in and the eggs have been laid and then covered with sand. Then the ground around the nest entrance is tamped upright with the head or with a stone that is carried with the mandibles. Occasionally the nest is broken open by conspecifics and the prey is stolen. In total, a female can create up to 10 nests, which usually happens within a radius of about 150 meters.
supporting documents
literature
- Heiko Bellmann : bees, wasps, ants. Hymenoptera of Central Europe . Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co KG, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-440-09690-4 .
- Rolf Witt: Wasps. Observe, determine. Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1998, ISBN 3-89440-243-1 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Heiko Bellmann : Bees, wasps, ants. Hymenoptera of Central Europe . Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co KG, Stuttgart 1995, pp. 161 ff., ISBN 3-440-09690-4 .
- ↑ a b c d Rolf Witt: Wasps. Observe, determine. Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1998 ISBN 3-89440-243-1 .
