Official name:
Synonyms:
Pamphredon lugubris [Soortenregister]
Pemphredon pacifica (Gussakovskij 1932)
Pemphredon pacificus (Gussakovskij 1932)
see more on: www.gbif.org
Etymology:
lugubris
Latin: mourning
CONTENTS
1. Distribution
2. Behaviour
3. Plant relations
4. Prey relations
5. Parasitic relations
6. Identification
1. DISTRIBUTION
Pemphredon lugubris is a common wasp [Waarneming.nl] that occurs throughout the Netherlands [Peeters et al. 2004].
2. BEHAVIOUR
2.1. ACTIVITY
The species is active from the beginning of May to the beginning of November [Peeters et al. 2004]. There are one [Schneider 1991] or two generations per year [Peeters et al. 2004],[Tsuneki 1952], in the beginning of summer and autumn [14, 21].
2.2. DEVELOPMENT
Nest
The femals gnaw nests in decaying wood and use natural tubes like plantstemms or abandoned beetle tunnels [Bohart & Menke 1976],[Blösch 2000],[Lomholdt 1984],[Tsuneki 1952]. Also wooden poles may be used [Bohart & Menke 1976].
Branched tunnels with a diameter of 4-5 mm are gnawed in wood [Tsuneki 1952]. The branches will include blind cells that are filled with wood pulp that may be used later on to fill up the main corridor [Blösch 2000].
Sometimes a gall is used in which the length of the tunnel is determined by the size of the fall [Blösch 2000].
The species sometimes tries to use the nest of Ectemnius cavifrons but are usually scared off. Should that not be the case she will use the main corridor as a starting point to gnaw her own branched off tunnels [Peeters et al. 2004],[Blösch 2000].
The broodcells in the plantstemms are constructed in a sequential row [Tsuneki 1952].
In all media the broodcells are separated with a 1-2mm thick wall of woodpulp [Blösch 2000].
Every broodcell contains 40 aphids [Blösch 2000],[Lomholdt 1984]. When the cell is fully provisioned one egg is lain on an aphid in the middle or back of the broodcell [Blösch 2000].
The eggs develop in three to five days [Cranshaw 2014]. The larva develops in about two week into the pre-pupal stage [Cranshaw 2014]. The second generatin will overwinter as pre-pupa, the first generation will transform into the pupal stage shortly [Cranshaw 2014]. This phase lasts about three weeks and then the adult appears [Cranshaw 2014].
2.3. BEE HOTEL
Females can be seen on bee hotels where they collect nesting materials [Breugel 2014].
Nestblocks in good condition are not suitable for nesting as the females only tunnel in decaying wood which is softer. Possibly offering bamboo stemms or tubes out of other plant stemms that still contain the marrow, as part of artificial nesting may increase chances for the species to use the bee hotel.
My own observations of the species include a female P. lugubris on the bee hotel section II nestblock 10 filled with bamboo and Hemp agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum) stemms.
Also I’ve noticed that nest blocks that are old and deteriorating become more interesting for tunneling digger wasps. Possibly Pemphredon will start to use this wood as well [Breugel 2014].
I’ve not seen any males on the bee hotel. Also the literature does not mention this.
2.4. MATING
My own observations include the species mating on Common dogwood (Cornus sanguinea). The males were continuesly present in and around the plant. Every now and then a female would approach that was immediately approached after landing, see here.
2.5. HUNTING
Caught prey are paralized by bites in the neck region [Lomholdt 1984],[Piek 2013]. As far as known all members of the subfamily Pemphredoninae, almost all aphid hunters, do not use the stinger [Lomholdt 1984],[Piek 2013].
The poison of P. lugubris is capable in paralysing a prey incomplete permanently [Piek 2013].
The prey is transported to the nest using the mandibles [Bohart & Menke 1976],[Lomholdt 1984].
3. PLANT RELATIONS
3.1. WOOD TYPES
The following wood types are mentioned in literature as medium for the wasp to built her nests in:
| Adoxaceae (Moschatel family) | Sambucus (Elder) [Bohart & Menke 1976],[Cranshaw et al. 1993 (Pemphredon spp.)] |
| Anacardiaceae (Sumac family) | Rhus (Sumac) [Cranshaw et al. 1993 (Pemphredon spp.)] |
| Asteraceae [Blösch 2000] (Composite family) | Artemisia [Bohart & Menke 1976] |
| Malvaceae (Mallows) | Hibiscus [Blösch 2000] |
| Oleaceae (Olive family) | Fraxinus (Ash) [Cranshaw et al. 1993 (Pemphredon ssp.)] |
| Rosaceae (Rose family) | Rosa (Rose) [Cranshaw et al. 1993 (Pemphredon ssp.)] Rubus (Blackberries)[Bohart & Menke 1976],[Cranshaw et al. 1993 (Pemphredon ssp.)] |
| Simaroubaceae | Ailanthus [Bohart & Menke 1976] |
3.2. FOOD PLANTS
The following wood types are mentioned in literature as food sources:
| Adoxaceae (Moschatel family) | Sambucus (Elder) [Tsuneki 1952] |
| Apiaceae [Blösch 2000] (Umbellifers) | |
| Asteraceae [Blösch 2000] (Composite family) |
The wasp also lick honeydew of leaves [Tsuneki 1952].
3.3. PREY PLANTS
Pemphredon finds her prey on their food plants.
The following plants are mentioned in literature:
| Caryophyllaceae (Carnation family) | Stellaria – Stellaria media [Fabian et al. 2014] |
4. PREY RELATIONS
The species uses only larger [Blösch 2000],[Lomholdt 1984] aphids (Aphidoidea) for her brood [Peeters et al. 2004],[Bohart & Menke 1976],[Blösch 2000],[Klein 1999],[Lomholdt 1984],[Ruchin & Antropov 2019],[Tsuneki 1952]. She is not picky and will use whatever aphid species is present [Bohart & Menke 1976].
Sometimes an adult will eat of a caught aphid without transporting it to the nest [Bohart & Menke 1976].
The following species and group occurring in the Netherlands [Soortenregister] are mentioned in literature:
| Aphidoidea (Aphids) [Peeters et al. 2004],[Klein 1999] | Aphis – Aphis sumbuci (Elder aphid) [Blösch 2000],[Lomholdt 1984] Brachycaudus – Brachycaudus prunicola (Black peach aphid) [Blösch 2000 (as Anuraphis persicae)] Lachnus – Lachnus pallipes [Piek 2013] Myzus – Myzus cerasi (Black cherry aphid) [Blösch 2000] |
Preyspecies outside the Netherlands:
| – | – |
5. PARASITIC RELATIONS
The following species and group occurring in the Netherlands [Soortenregister] are mentioned in literature:
| Hymenoptera (Wasps) | Chrysididae (Cuckoo wasps) Elampus – Elampus constrictus [Bohart & Menke 1976 (as Omalus constrictus)] Omalus* – Omalus aeneus [Blösch 2000],[Paukkunen et al. 2015] Philoctetes – Philoctetes truncatus [Peeters et al. 2004] Pseudomalus* – Pseudomalus auratus [Bohart & Menke 1976],[Paukkunen et al. 2015][Tsuneki 1952 (as Ellampus auratus)] ➡︎ brood idiobiont ectoparasitoid (eats food stock and larva) [Tsuneki 1952] – Pseudomalus triangulifer [Paukkunen et al. 2015],[Ruchin & Antropov 2019] – Pseudomalus violaceus [Peeters et al. 2004],[Paukkunen et al. 2015],[Ruchin & Antropov 2019][Bohart & Menke 1976 (as Omalus violaceus)] Ichneumonidae (Sluipwespen) Perithous – Perithous divinator [Peeters et al. 2004],[Bohart & Menke 1976],[Blösch 2000] – Perithous scurra [Peeters et al. 2004],[Blösch 2000 (as P.mediator)] – Perithous septemcinctorius [Aliyev & Maharramova 2009],[Martynova & Fateryga 2015] |
| Diptera (Flies) | Sarcophagidae Amobia – Amobia signata [Povolny 1997] |
*cuckoo wasp female does not enter the nest, instead parasitizes a living aphid that is then caught by the P. lugubris female and brought to the nest [Paukkunen et al. 2015]
Parasitic species outside the Netherlands:
| – | – |
6. IDENTIFICATION
Length males: 7,5 – 10 mm
Length females: 10 – 11,5 mm
Genus
The genus Pemphredon can be identified using the following characters:
1. Thorax: forewing with two submarginal cells [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
2. Thorax: forewing with two discoidal cells [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
3. Thorax: forewing pterostigma smaller than marginal cell [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
4. Thorax: pronotum not enlarged, sides do not reach tegula [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
5. Thorax: notauli do not reach back edge mesonotum [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
6. Abdomen: front first abdominal segment petiolate [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
specimen caught for photo identification on 09-x-2021, length ±13mm
- Antenna with 12 segments [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
2. Abdomen with 6 segments [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
3. Clypeus with few silver hairs [10,11]
4. Tergite 6 with pygidium [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
HEAD
1. Head: clypeus frontal edge straight [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Dollfuss 1991] (Klein [Klein 1999]: rounded)
2. Head: no lump between the antennal implants [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
3. Head: antennal segment 3 about 2,4-3x as long as wide [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
THORAX
1. Thorax: forewing second discoidal transverse vein joins submarginalcell 2 [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
2. Thorax: side (mesopleuron): with transverse wrinkled structure in front of middle coxa [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
3. Thorax: propodeum edge dorsal field unclearly limited [9,11], narrow, with structure [10,11] and matt [10]. Narrow and striped [Bitsch 2022]
ABDOMEN
1. Abdomen: petiolus: longer than half of tergite 1 [Jacobs 2007], longer than half-length postpetiolus [Bitsch 2022],[Dollfuss 1991], long and slender [Klein 1999]
2. Abdomen: pygidium long and narrow [Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991], not keel shaped [Jacobs 2007], channelshaped [Bitsch 2022]
specimen caught for photo identification on 30-v-2021, length ±9mm
1. Head: antenna with 13 segments [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
2. Head: clypeus with silver hairs [10,11]
3. Abdomen: tergum 7 without pygidium [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
HEAD
1. Head: clypeus apical edge with wide arcuate emargination [Bitsch 2022],[Dollfuss 1991]
2. Head: no lump between the antennal implants [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
3. Head: antennal members 5 – 9 with tyloids [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
THORAX
1. Thorax: middle tarsal segment 1 apically almost straight [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Dollfuss 1991]
2. Thorax: side (mesopleuron) with clear transverse wrinkled structure in front of middle coxa [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991]
3. Thorax: propodeum dorsal area unclearly limited [Klein 1999],[Dollfuss 1991], narrow, with structure[Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007],[Dollfuss 1991] and matt [Jacobs 2007]. Narrow and striped [Bitsch 2022]
4. Thorax: scutum glossy with scattered punctation, some specimens with stripes [Bitsch 2022]
ABDOMEN
- Abdomen: petiolus longer than tergum 1 [Bitsch 2022],[Jacobs 2007] (postpetiolus [Dollfuss 1991]), long and slender [Klein 1999]
Literature
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Citation
Krischan, O.R., 2025. Pemphredon lugubris. Kerfdier, www.kerfdier.nl. Accessed on 12 May 2025.
