New garden species

Gorytes laticinctus♀︎

Last update: 4 November 2020


Common

LOCATION: Krimpen aan den IJssel, garden

OBSERVATION:
2020-VI-17


A female digger wasp Gorytes laticinctus [1,2], a new garden species!

Gorytes laticinctus ♀︎

This wasp honoured the garden with a lightning visit a couple of days in a row. At first I could only see it from a longer distance but the combination of the green eyes and the narrowing of the first abdominal segment made me think it was a Gorytes digger wasp. On one of the next days she suddenly passed me and landed inside a flower pot. I was just in time to shoot this photo before she flew up in a sharp U-turn and landed underneath the pot only to skirt away a moment later as I took a step closer.
The rather bad photograph gave me enough information to think it was this species but I decided to get a second opinion on the Waarneming.nl forum, and for sure it was correct (see confirmation Flor Rhebergen)

Super nice since this was a genus that I had on my wish list. The group around this one, like  Lestiphorus, Agrogorytes, Hoplisoides, Harpactus, are favourite digger wasps because of the shapes and the intriguingly large feet.


References

1 Nederlands Soortenregister

2 KLEIN, Wim. De graafwespen van de Benelux. Jeugdbondsuitgeverij, Utrecht, 1996, 1-130. + KLEIN, Wim. De graafwespen van de Benelux: supplement. Jeugdbondsuitgeverij, 1999.

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