Four-spotted cave parasitic wasp

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Four-spotted cave parasitic wasp
Diphyus quadripunctorius, female; The 4 yellow spots on the abdomen can be seen in the top right of the image

Diphyus quadripunctorius , female; The 4 yellow spots on the abdomen can be seen in the top right of the image

Systematics
Family : Wasps (Ichneumonidae)
Subfamily : Ichneumoninae
Tribe : Ichneumonini
Genre : Diphyus
Type : Four-spotted cave parasitic wasp
Scientific name
Diphyus quadripunctorius
( Müller , 1776)
Diphyus quadripunctorius , female - wing veins clearly visible
Diphyus quadripunctorius , female
Diphyus quadripunctorius , male
Diphyus quadripunctorius , male

The Vierfleck Cave wasp ( Diphyus quadripunctorius ) is a parasitic wasp from the subfamily of the Ichneumoninae .

features

The four-spot cave parasitic wasps reach a body length of 13 to 15 mm. They have a black basic color. The antennae of the females are black with the exception of a white band which is not quite halfway along. The antennae of the males are completely black. The males have a yellow fron . The tag (scutellum) is yellow in both sexes. The female has four yellow spots on the otherwise black abdomen . The male, on the other hand, has two yellow broad bands on the upper side of the abdomen. The two front pairs of legs are yellow in both sexes. The femora of the rear pair of legs are yellow in the female and orange in the male. The rear legs of both sexes have a black ring at the apical end of the femora and at the apical end of the tibia . The tarsi of the rear pair of legs are dark to black in color. The females do not have a long laying stinger . The coloring of the ichneumon is the mimicry of aculeata for protection from predators.

Occurrence and habitat

The four-spot cave parasitic wasp is common in the western Palearctic (large parts of Europe, North Africa) and in the Orientalis (Middle East). The species is also found in the British Isles and southern Scandinavia. In Germany the species is known from all cave areas. The insects are often found on the edges of forests, clearings and hedges.

Way of life

The adult parasitic wasps usually fly from May to August. They are often found on the flowers of meadow hogweed ( Heracleum sphondylium ), where they ingest plant nectar. After mating in summer, the males die, while the fertilized females gather in groups of up to 100 animals to hibernate and go to frost-free caves, tunnels, crevices and tree hollows. The females leave their hibernation places in spring and lay their eggs in caterpillars.

The hosts include the following species, among others:

One egg is laid per caterpillar. The larvae of the four-spot cave parasitic wasp only hatch after the caterpillar has pupated and eat their host in the cocoon. The parasite leaves the butterfly pupa as an adult parasitic wasp.

The four-spot cave parasitic wasp was developed by the Association of German Cave and Karst Researchers . V. named " Cave Animal 2017 ".

Similar species

  • Amblyteles armatorius - The male looks similar to the male of the four-spotted cave parasitic wasp. The main distinguishing feature are the cusps on the propodeum of Amblyteles armatorius . Furthermore, Amblyteles armatorius has a different leg color.
  • Diphyus luctatorius - In contrast to Diphyus quadripunctorius, the male hasthree yellow abdominal ligaments .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e The four-spot cave parasitic wasp named cave animal of the year 2017 . www.natur-und-landschaft.de. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  2. ↑ a b c d Vierfleck cave parasitic wasp . Southern Black Forest Nature Park. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 12, 2017. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.naturpark-suedschwarzwald.de
  3. ↑ a b c d Diphyus quadripunctorius . www.naturespot.org.uk. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  4. ↑ Diphyus quadripunctorius (Muller, 1776) . Fauna Europaea. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  5. ↑ a b c Diphyus quadripunctorius . www.commanster.eu. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  6. ↑ Alena Kubátová, Libor Dvořák: Entomopathogenic fungi associated with insect hibernating in underground shelters (PDF 619 KB) Czech Mycol. 57 (3–4): 221–237, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2017.

Web links

Commons : Cave parasitic wasp ( Diphyus quadripunctorius )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files