1. DISTRIBUTION
Sphecodes gibbus is a less common wasp in the Netherlands and is found mostly in the south and middle of the country [5].
2. BEHAVIOUR
2.1. ACTIVITY
The species is active from end March to September [2,4,5], with a peak for females eind of July and for males beginning of August [4].
Females overwinter [2].
2.2. DEVELOPMENT
Bloodbees are cleptoparasites [6] on especially HALICTUS and LASIOGLOSSUM bees [2,6].
3. IDENTIFICATION
The wasp is small, female 7 – 13 mm, male 7 – 12 mm [2].
The characteristics of the species are:
1. Antenna segments in the tip covered for 1/3 maximum with felt-like pubescence, and anntenna knobbly [3]
2. Antenna segments from segement 4 1,5x longer than wide [4]
3. Antenna segment 4 2x longer than wide [4]
4. Area behind ocelli punctuated [3]
5. Vertex with glossy spaces between punctiation [4]
6. Back widely punctuated, diameter at least as wide as one punctiation [4]
6. Tegites I to III more densely punctuated [4]
Literature
1 Nederlands Soortenregister2 Peeters, T.M.J., H. Nieuwenhuijsen, J. Smit, F. van der Meer, I.P. Raemakers, W.R.B. Heitmans, C. van Achterberg, M. Kwak, A.J. Loonstra, J. de Rond, M. Roos & M. Reemer 2012. De Nederlands bijen (Hymennoptera: Apidae s.l.). - Natuur van Nederland 11, Naturalis Biodiversity Center & European Invertebrate Survey - Nederland, Leiden.
3 Stevenston Conservation, Key to Sphecodes Females and Males
4 wildebijen.nl, "De Nederlandse bijen en hun relaties, overzicht van in Nederland en Vlaanderen voorkomende solitaire en sociale bijen (Apidea s.l.)"
