Arachnospila consobrina

Arachnospila consobrina is a little-known Palaearctic spider wasp.

Arachnospila consobrina
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Pompilidae
Genus: Arachnospila
Species:
A. consobrina
Binomial name
Arachnospila consobrina
(Dahlbom, 1843)
Synonyms
  • Pompilus consobrina
  • Pompilus alpinus
  • Pompilus continentalis
  • Psammochares emissus
  • Pompilus guimarensis
  • Psammochares heringi
  • Psammochares lanuginosus
  • Pompilus nivariae
  • Pompilus pyrenaicus
  • Pompilus siculus[1]

Description

Like other members of the sub-genus Ammosphex this is a medium-sized red and black spider wasp. The males have a quite distinctive genital plate, but females are very similar to related species such as A. anceps and A.trivialis but can be identified by their relatively hairier head.[2]

Distribution

Northern and central Europe, marginally in southern Britain, and also Africa and Asia.[2]

Biology

A consobrina is single brooded, flying in July and August. The only observation of A. consobrina with prey concerns a female found under a stone near Constantinople carrying a Segestria florentina which was reported in Fahringer.[2][3] The nesting biology of A. consobrina is almost completely unknown, but like other Arachnospila species in the sub-genus Ammosphex it is adapted to digging in loose sandy soils.[2]

References
  1. http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=198299
  2. Edwards R. & Broad G. (eds), 2006, Provisional Atlas for the aculeate Hymenoptera of Britain and Ireland Part 6, NERC ISBN 1 870393 84 8
  3. Fahringer, J. 1922. Hymenopterologische Ergebnisse einer wissenschaft lichen Studienreise nach der Turkei und Kleinasien (mit A usschluss des A manusgebirges). Archiv far Naturgeschichte, 88 A , Heft 9, 149-222
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