Pseudomalus pusillus

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Pseudomalus pusillus
Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera)
Family : Gold wasps (Chrysididae)
Subfamily : Chrysidinae
Genre : Pseudomalus
Type : Pseudomalus pusillus
Scientific name
Pseudomalus pusillus
( Fabricius , 1804)
Pseudomalus pusillus.jpg

Pseudomalus pusillus is a species from the golden wasp family.

Taxonomy & Etymology

The species was first described as Chrysis pusilla in 1804 . Later it was added to the genus Omalus . In the course of a revision of the family, Pseudomalus was raised to a separate genus in 1991.

The specific epithet pusillus (Latin: dwarfish, small) refers to the compact growth of the species.

description

With a length of 3–5 mm, it is one of the smaller representatives of Pseudomalus . Typical for the genre is the sculpting of the mesonotum, where large indentations cluster in the middle. In addition, the mesopleuron protrudes to a point lateroventrally. The animal is entirely colored metallic green. The species shows no pronounced sexual dimorphism. The male is only slightly slimmer and often darker in color.

Differential diagnosis

P. pusillus is difficult to distinguish in the field from the other three native representatives of the genus ( P. violaceus (Scopoli), P. triangulifer (Abeille de Perrin), P. auratus (Linnaeus)).

The monochrome green metallic luster is only interrupted by isolated red-gold reflections. However, since the color is subject to individual variability (and can change, especially in the case of collection specimens due to storage or chemical treatment), it can be confused with dark specimens of P. auratus . Normally, P.violaceus is characterized by blue-violet, P.triangulifer and P.auratus by brightly colored (with at least the red colored abdomen on the sides). From the side view, the metascutellum of P. pusillus protrudes in a strongly convex curve , which makes it easier to differentiate between the species.

distribution

The species is distributed holarctic. The area extends from Western Europe to Far Eastern Russia; south to north Africa. In the Scandinavian countries it is only found sporadically, in Great Britain it is completely absent. In Central Europe, with the exception of the mountains, it is widespread and not rare. In Germany it is generally considered to be moderately frequent and not at risk, but it is rarer in northern Germany and may be completely absent in Schleswig-Holstein.

Habitat

P. pusillus lives in open habitats, preferring sandy soils with sparse vegetation, loess walls and forest edges.

Way of life

Like all members of the genus Pseudomalus, P. pusillus parasitizes members of the Pemphredoninae . Confirmed information is available on Passaloecus eremita Kohl, P. insignis (Vander Linden) and Pemphredon lethifer (Shuckard) as hosts. The golden wasp lies in wait for them while they build and store their nests in order to lay an egg in the supply cell. If it is attacked by the host, it can curl up like a ball to protect itself from the heavily sclerotized tergites. The golden wasp also moves into this position at night.

The adults collect honeydew in aphid colonies, but also visit flowers ( Apiaceae , Euphorbiaceae and Asteraceae ). They may fly in two generations from mid-May to late August.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kimsey, Bohart: Chrysidid Wasps of the World . New York 1991.
  2. ↑ a b c Juho Paukkunen, Alexander Berg, Villu Soon, Frode Ødegaard, Paolo Rosa: An illustrated key to the cuckoo wasps (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae) of the Nordic and Baltic countries, with description of a new species . In: ZooKeys . tape 548 , December 23, 2015, ISSN  1313-2970 , p. 1–116 , doi : 10.3897 / zookeys.548.6164 ( pensoft.net [accessed June 4, 2020]).
  3. ^ A b Bogdan Wisniowski: Cuckoo Wasps (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) of Poland . Ojcow 2015.
  4. ↑ a b Juho Paukkunen, Alexander Berg, Villu Soon, Frode Ødegaard, Paolo Rosa (2015): An illustrated key to the cuckoo wasps (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae) of the Nordic and Baltic countries, with description of a new species. ZooKeys 548: 1-116. doi: 10.3897 / zookeys.548.6164
  5. ↑ NV Kurzenko, AS Lelej: Chrysididae. In: AS Lelej, SA Belokobylskiy, DR Kasparyan, AN Kupyanskaya, MYu Proshchalkin (eds.) Key to the insects of Russian Far East. Volume 4 . Vladivostok 2007, p. 998-1006 .
  6. ↑ D. Morgan: Cuckoo Wasps (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae) Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects (editors: MG Fitton & PC Barnard) Vol. 6, Part 5. Royal Entomological Society of London, 1984.
  7. ^ Christian Schmid-Egger (2010): Red List of Wasps in Germany. Ampulex 1: 5-39.
  8. ↑ H.-J. Jacobs & J.-C. Kornmilch (2007): The golden wasps of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae). Entomological News and Reports 51: 73-93.
  9. ^ Peter Kunz: Die Goldwespen Baden-Württemberg . Karlsruhe 1989, p. 123 .