Psenulus

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Psenulus
Psenulus fuscipennis

Psenulus fuscipennis

Systematics
Order : Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera)
Superfamily : Apoidea
without rank: Digger wasps (Spheciformes)
Family : Crabronidae
Subfamily : Pemphredoninae
Genre : Psenulus
Scientific name
Psenulus
Kohl , 1897

Psenulus is a genus of digger wasps (Spheciformes) from the Crabronidae family. There are 121 known species worldwide, 26 of which are distributed in the Palearctic . The main distribution area is the Orientalis . There are 10 species in Europe.

features

The animals have a clearly raised transverse bulge below the antennae roots and a double longitudinal keel between the antennae. Like the closely related genus Psen , the representatives of the genus Psenulus have three submarginal cells on the forewings, but the anal cell of the hind wings ends before the start of the medial artery. A special feature of the genus is the long, downward-pointing bristle on the hips of the hind legs, which is particularly prominent in the females.

Way of life

The way of life is known from about 12 species. The females create their nests in stems containing medullary or abandoned feeding tunnels in dead wood. There are species, such as Psenulus fuscipennis , that also use artificial nesting aids. The brood is supplied with different prey depending on the species. There are species that specialize in aphids such as B. Psenulus fuscipennis and Psenulus pallipes . Others introduce leaf fleas into their nesting ducts, such as Psenulus concolor , Psenulus alienus and Psenulus anomoneurae . A third group of species prefers dwarf leaf hoppers and spur leaf hoppers as prey, such as the Psenulus pulcherrimus and Psenulus iwatae, which are native to the Far East . Psenulus sogatophagus preyes on both the spur leaf hoppers Sogata furcifera and the dwarf leafhopper Nephotettix cincticeps , both pests on rice plants .

In some species, the nest tube is lined with a slimy, shimmering substance that hardens quickly. The cell walls are made of very fine protein threads, sometimes mixed with wood fibers or pieces of wood and pith. Pupation takes place in a complete cocoon in some species , but there are also species such as Psenulus pallipes , which only spin an incomplete cocoon consisting of a coarse, cap-shaped disc under which the larva is only encased by a thin membrane merges into a hard-to-see lining of the cell walls. The resting larva curves clearly "S" -shaped. One can abandoned Psenulus recognize -Nester on this lens and the shape of the Larvenkots good. The faeces are not removed regularly, but emptied once in a long sausage-shaped piece that rolls up in a spiral.

In Central Europe usually one, but sometimes two generations develop each year. Different species of parasitic wasps , wood wasps , and meat flies are known as parasitoids .

Systematics

The genus Psenulus belongs to the Psenini tribe within the subfamily Pemphredoninae . Within the psenini, psenulus is closely related to the genus Pluto . The wing veining is very similar, in both genera the medians of the hind wings are bifurcated distally.

Species (Europe)

supporting documents

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 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. 151 ff .
  2. ↑ Psenulus. Fauna Europaea, accessed July 25, 2010 .
  3. ↑ a b Richard Mitchell Bohart and Arnold S. Menke: Sphecid wasps of the world: a generic revision. University of California Press, 1976, pp. 171 ISBN 978-0-52002-318-5

literature

  • Manfred Blösch: The digger wasps in Germany: way of life, behavior, distribution . 1st edition. Goecke & Evers, 2000, ISBN 3-931374-26-2 .