Palarus
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| Latreille , 1802 |
Palarus is a genus of digger wasps (Spheciformes) from the Crabronidae family. 34 species and subspecies are known worldwide, which are distributed in Africa, southern Europe, southern Asia to China and Korea. There are three species in Europe, one species, Palarus variegatus , also occurs in Central Europe.
features
The Palarus species have a strong, stocky build and have yellow spots or bandages on their abdomen. So they look like the species of the Philanthinae . They also have some characteristics in common with the Larrinae , to which some authors have previously put them. These include the externally indented mandibles , which have one or two teeth, and the complex eyes that are close to one another on the forehead . Their rear point eyes ( ocelli ) are deformed as in the Larrinae and Nyssoninae . Unique features, on the other hand, are the trisection of the frontal plate ( clypeus ) and the triangular, short-stalked middle submarginal cell of the forewings. The end of the abdomen is spiky in the females and forked out in the males.
Way of life
The differences to other groups of the Crabronidae lie in the care of the brood. Palarus species often set up their nests in large communities. The single-cell nests are dug in the ground. The cell is located in a corridor over 30 centimeters long, but only a few centimeters below the surface. The brood is supplied with different hymenoptera , the individual species are apparently not specialized in a particular prey. The prey are transported in flight and immediately carried into the nest. If the entrance is blocked, it is first shoveled free, then the nest is checked. The female then comes out of the nest head first and pulls her prey into the nest. Up to 12 animals are entered into the nest, the eggs are laid on the belly of the first victim. The head of the prey is usually turned several times, but it is still unknown why this happens. The poison of the digger wasps is relatively strong. There are species that can cause damage to bee colonies, such as Palarus latifrons .
Systematics
Palarus belongs to the tribe Palarini within the subfamily of the Crabroninae .
Species (Europe)
Of the 31 species and 3 subspecies worldwide, only three species are common in Europe:
- Palarus almeriensis Gayubo, Asis & Tormos 1992
- Palarus beaumonti Bytinski salt 1957
- Palarus variegatus (Fabricius 1781)
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ Numbers of Sphecid Extant Species ( Memento of the original from July 1, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in: Wojciech J. Pulawski: Catalog of Sphecidae sensu lato. California Academy of Sciences, November 27, 2009 version
- ↑ a b c d Manfred Blösch: The digger wasps in Germany: way of life, behavior, distribution . 1st edition. Goecke & Evers, 2000, ISBN 3-931374-26-2 , pp. 238 .
- ↑ Palarus. Fauna Europaea, accessed July 23, 2010 .
- ↑ Genus Palarus ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Wojciech J. Pulawski: Catalog Sphecidae: Genera and Species . California Academy of Sciences, version of October 18, 2009 (PDF)
literature
- Manfred Blösch: The digger wasps in Germany: way of life, behavior, distribution . 1st edition. Goecke & Evers, 2000, ISBN 3-931374-26-2 .