Digger wasp
Locusts sand wasp ( Sphex funerarius )
Sphex is a genus of wasps grave ( Spheciformes ) from the family Sphecidae. The globally widespread genus contains 100 species. In the Palearctic 15 species are represented in Europe are found five species.
Features
The genus includes not only small usually large to very large species. To include some of the largest species hymenoptera at all. The animals are colored black and red and have similarity with short stalk sand wasps ( Podalonia ) and sand wasps ( Ammophila ). However, unlike these, they have a shorter stem on the abdomen base, bidentate claws and another Flügeladerung.
Way of life
The females lay their nests usually in sandy or stony ground. But there are nesting in soil, wall joints or hollow stems and species. For nests in stems cells are successively applied and separated by comminuted plant material. Nests in the ground are at the end of a 10 to 15 cm long tube and end in a horizontal or inclined cell. The brood is supplied with long and short Grasshopper. The adults are remarkably sluggish in their movements. They seek their prey on foot, as well as flying. Fugitives locusts is nachgeflogen. It is not uncommon that during the search flights objects such as leaves or branches have certain similarity with prey animals and even shadows are attacked. The prey are first, sitting on her back, engraved with wide curved forward abdomen in the joint linings of the hips of the front legs, then a second stitch is placed in the middle of the hip or mostly rear legs. Try the grasshopper while fleeing with jumps, the females still clings tightly to her victim. If the victim is stunned, it is packed with the mandibles to the sensor bases and usually transported continuously to the nest. Not infrequently, the animals are also partially bitten legs.
Species ( Europe)
- Sphex atropilosus Kohl, 1885
- Sphex flavipennis Fabricius, 1793
- Sphex funerarius Gussakovskij, 1934
- Sphex pruinosus Germar, 1817