Tachysphex

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Tachysphex
Tachysphex sp. in Dar es Salaam

Tachysphex sp. in Dar es Salaam

Systematics
Order : Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera)
Superfamily : Apoidea
without rank: Digger wasps (Spheciformes)
Family : Crabronidae
Subfamily : Crabroninae
Genre : Tachysphex
Scientific name
Tachysphex
Kohl , 1883
Tachyspex sp. from the front

Tachysphex is a species-rich genus of digger wasps (Spheciformes) from the Crabronidae family. 446 species are known worldwide; the genus is thus the most species-rich of the Larrini tribe. The Palearctic is home to around 138 species, 47 of which are found in Europe.

features

The species of the genus Tachysphex are between 4 and 18 millimeters long, the majority of the species are between 6 and 10 millimeters long. The digger wasps are black, their abdomen is partially red in some species, as are the legs. In contrast to the similar genus Tachytes , the pygidial field of the females and the seventh abdominal segment are hairless. It is particularly difficult to distinguish the completely black species from one another.

Way of life

The usually multicellular nests are created in sandy or cohesive soils, with preference for settling on flat surfaces. The females carry larger parts and stones away with their mandibles, while fine material is dug up with the tarsi of the front legs and pushed back out of the passage with the body. The passage lies mostly flat in the ground, the cells are created at a depth of only three to six centimeters. Depending on the species, the nest entrance is closed or remains open when absent. The brood is fed with locusts. Depending on the species, a specific family of locusts is preferred. The prey is brought into the nest with the belly side up either in flight or walking. Their antennae are grabbed with the mandibles , while the prey is also stabilized with the legs in flight. Eggs are laid on either the first or the last grasshopper, near the hips of the front legs. In the cell, the prey is placed with the belly side up and the head down. The anesthetized animals usually move their legs and antennae weakly.

Pupation takes place in a solid cocoon that is spun from silk overlaid with sticky sand. A number of parasitoids , such as gold wasps , spider ants , woolly hoops, and satellite flies, are known to infest the digger wasps. The adults are flower visitors. In the evening or when the weather is bad, the animals look for a cavity, and males with a tarsia crest also bury themselves.

Systematics

Tachysphex belongs to the tribe Larrini within the subfamily Crabroninae .

Species (Europe)

supporting documents

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 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  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / researcharchive.calacademy.org
  2. ↑ 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. 223 .
  3. ↑ Tachysphex. Fauna Europaea, accessed July 23, 2010 .

literature

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

Web links

Commons : Tachysphex  - collection of images, videos and audio files