Potter digger wasp

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Potter digger wasp
Pottery burial wasp (Trypoxylon figulus), ♀

Pottery burial wasp ( Trypoxylon figulus ), ♀

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera)
Superfamily : Apoidea
Family : Crabronidae
Genre : Trypoxylon
Type : Potter digger wasp
Scientific name
Trypoxylon figulus
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The potter's wasp ( Trypoxylon figulus ) is a hymenoptera from the Crabronidae family . The species is not endangered.

features

The species reaches a body length of 9 to 12 millimeters in female adults and 7.5 to 10 millimeters in male. She has a very slender, completely black body with a long abdomen. The kidney-shaped compound eyes are strongly cut out on the inside, the fore wings have only one cubital cell. The species is to be confused with other species of the genus, but also with those of similar genera, such as Pemphredon .

Occurrence

The potter burial wasp is widespread in Central Europe and is common almost everywhere. In the Palearctic, it can be found up to 1700 meters above sea level. It is still known from the northeast of the USA and the east of Canada. It lives in open, sparsely vegetated areas, as well as in sunny forests and gardens that have sufficient opportunities for nesting. The flight time is from May to September.

Way of life

Unlike most of the other digger wasps , the potter burial wasp nests in existing cavities, such as in the boreholes of beetles , abandoned earth nests of wasps , or in hollow stems . The larvae are mainly fed on spiders from the families of the canopy- web spiders and canopy spiders . Several spiders are brought into the nesting passage, an egg is added and the nesting passage is separated with clay to fill another chamber. Up to 30 spiders (possibly even over 40 spiders) are introduced into one of the up to nine brood cells. Finally the nest opening is closed with clay. The larva that hatches from this eats for about a week. After that, a cocoon is spun from her within a day. As a resting larva, it overwinters. Depending on the weather, a small percentage of the larvae can continue to hibernate as so-called "nests". Trypoxylon figulus is considered a synanthropic digger wasp . Female adults can live up to about four weeks. In the course of the year two, in some places even three generations can follow one another. Chrysis cyanea parasitizes this species as a cuckoo wasp .

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literature

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