Tiphia femorata

Tiphia femorata
	Tiphia femorata , about 10 mm
Systematics
Class :	Insects (Insecta)
Order :	Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera)
Superfamily :	Vespoidea
Family :	Wasps (Tiphiidae)
Genre :	Tiphia
Type :	Tiphia femorata
Scientific name
	Tiphia femorata
	( Fabricius , 1775)

Tiphia femorata , also known as the common roller wasp , is a hymenoptera from the family of roller wasps (Tiphiidae). This species from the genus Tiphia is common across Europe.

features

The body length of Tiphia femorata is variable, males reach a length of 5 to 12 millimeters, females are 6 to 15 millimeters long. The body is dark in color. The tibia and femora of the middle and rear pairs of legs are usually red-brown in color. The third tergite has no transverse bar on the back. The sides of the propodeum are striated in the male.

Similar but rarer species are Tiphia minuta and Tiphia unicolor (synonym: Tiphia ruficornis ) and Tiphia villosa (synonym: Tiphia morio , almost extinct in Germany) in Central Europe .

Occurrence

The species is common in North Africa and Europe. It colonizes various open, temperature-favored and dry habitats. The animals occur in one generation from mid-June to late August.

Way of life

Tiphia femorata parasitizes the larvae of scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae), especially the amphimallon solstitiale, also known as the June beetle . The females use their sense of smell to detect them in the ground, dig up to them and lay an egg on them after they have been immobilized by a sting.

Female adults fly up flowers to search for nectar and pollen and also spend the night on them. Because of their short mouthparts , they prefer umbellifers for easy access to the nectar. The mandibles , which are located further out and work like pincers , are used to dig for host animals.