Official name

Synonyms

Nitela borealis ^[1]

none

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Etymology:

borealis

Latin: northern

1. Distribution
2. Behaviour
3. Plant relations
4. Parasitic relations
5. Identification

1. DISTRIBUTION

Nitela borealis is a rare ^{[Waarneming.nl]} digger wasp (SPHECIFORMES) that can be found throughout the Netherlands ^{[Peeters et al. 2004]}.

2. BEHAVIOUR

2.1. ACTIVITY

Nitela borealis is active from half May to begin October ^{[Peeters et al. 2004]}.

2.2. DEVELOPMENT

Nests are made in old beetle tunnels and in dead wood, trunks and poles ^{[Peeters et al. 2004]}^,7].

Bee hotel

The species is active on bee hotels where it also nests ^[4]. They prefer small bore holes.

Nest

Nests are constructed in marrow-like plants, old beetle boreholes, in dead wood, stemms and poles ^{[Peeters et al. 2007],[Blösch 2000],[Bitsch 2022]}. Nests are found in cynipid galls of Diplolepis rosae ^{[Bitsch 2022]}.

Nests consist of one to five cells that are separated by walls made of plant materials, and filled with about thirty prey specimens per cell ^{[Blösch 2000]}.
Prey consists of immature barklice (PSOCODEA) ^{[Blösch 2000]}.

Beehotel

Nitela borealis is active on beehotels in which they nest ^{[Breugel 2014], [eigen waarneming]}, with a preference for small drillholes.

*Nitela borealis* ♀︎, with *Psocoptera sp.*

De soort is actief op het bijenhotels waarin ze nestelen ^{[Breugel 2014], [eigen waarneming]}, met een voorkeur voor kleine gaten.

*Nitela borealis* ♀︎, met *psocoptera sp.*

3. PLANT RELATIONS

3.1. WOOD TYPES

The following wood types are mentioned in literature as medium for the wasp to built her nests:

BETULACEAE (Birch family)	Betula (Birch) ^{[own observation (borehole in nest help)]}
ONAGRACEAE (Willowherb family)	Chamaenerion – Chamaenerion angustifolium (Rosebay willowherb) ^{[Lomholdt 1984]}
ROSACEAE (Rose family)	Rubus – Rubus idaeus (Raspberry) ^{[Lomholdt 1984]}
URTICACEAE (Nettle family)	Urtica – Urtica dioica (Common nettle) ^{[Lomholdt 1984]}

Table 3.1-1: wood types used as nest substrate

3.2. FOOD PLANTS

The following plant species are mentioned in literature as food sources:

–

Table 3.2-1: Food plants in the Netherlands

4. PREY RELATIONS

Barklice nymphs (PSOCODEA) are used as food for the larvae.

The following species and group occurring in the Netherlands ^[^{Soortenregister}^] are mentioned in literature:

PSOCOPTERA
(Barklice) ^{[Peeters et al. 2004],[Blösch 2000]}

–

Table 4-1: Prey species in the Netherlands

Prey species outside the Netherlands:

–

Table 4-2: Prey species outside the Netherlands

5. PARASITIC RELATIONS

The following species and groups occurring in the Netherlands ^[^{Soortenregister}^] are mentioned in literature:

COLEOPTERA (Beetles)	RIPIPHORIDAE (Waaierkevers) Macrosiagon – Macrosiagon sp. ^{[Heitmans 1994]}
HYMENOPTERA (Wasps)	EURYTOMIDAE (Kraagwespen) Eurytoma – Eurytoma rubicola ^{[Lomholdt 1984]}

Table 5-1: Parasitic species in the Netherlands

Parasitic species outside the Netherlands:

–

Table 5-2: Parasitic species outside the Netherlands

6. IDENTIFICATION

Length males 3-4 mm
Length females 3-4,5 mm

Genus

The genus Nitela can be identified using the following characters:

1. Small black species^{[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]}

2. Forewing: with one submarginal cel ^{[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]}

*Nitela borealis* ♂︎, forewing with 1 submarginal cell

*Nitela borealis* ♂︎, forewing with one submarginal cell

3. Hindwing: without clear veins ^{[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]}

*Nitela borealis* ♀︎, veins hind wing unclear

4. Head: inner eye edges converge upwards ^{[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]}

*Nitela borealis* ♂︎, eyes converge upwards

5. Antenna: located very low on the head ^{[Dolfuss 1991]}

*Nitela borealis* ♂︎, antennae set low in the face

*Nitela borealis* ♂︎, antennae are low in the face

HEAD

1. Head: vertex in front of ocelli, mesonotum and scutellum punctuated^{[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]}

*Nitela borealis* ♂︎, frons before ocelli punctated

2. Head: lower depressed part of frons with dense white hairs ^{[Jacobs 2007]}

*Nitela borealis* ♂︎, lower indented part frons with dense white hairs

3. Head: clypeus with strongly developed medial longitudinal keel that almost reaches the front margin ^{[Dollfuss 1991]}

*Nitela borealis* ♂︎, Clypeus with strongly developed longitudinal keel

*Nitela borealis* ♂︎, clypeus with stark shaped medial keel

4. Head: clypeus with 3 well developed teeth ^{[Dollfuss 1991]}

*Nitela borealis* ♂︎, Clypeus with 3 clear teeth

5. Head: cheeks (gena) very finely and densely striped, almost no space and punctation between the stripes ^{[Jacobs 2007]}

*Nitela borealis* ♀︎, cheek (gena) very densely striped

THORAX

1. Thorax: mesonotum punctated^{[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]}

*Nitela borealis* ♂︎, mesonotum and scutellum punctated

2. Thorax: propodeum dorsally smooth with branched carinae^{[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]}, in some specimen partly net-like^{[Dollfuss 1991]}

3. Thorax: propodeum dorsally and space between the carinae shiny^{[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]}, more or less uneven, seldom clearly chagrined (finely scarred)^{[Jacobs 2007],[Dollfuss 1991]}