Official name
Synonyms
Crossocerus annulipes [1]
Blepharipus annulipes
Blepharipus ambiguus
Coelocrabro ambiguus
Crabro ambiguus
see more on: www.gbif.org
Etymology:
annulipes
Latin: having a ring-shaped foot
CONTENTS
1. Distribution
2. Behaviour
3. Plant relations
4. Prey relations
5. Parasitic relations
6. Identification
1. DISTRIBUTION
Crossocerus annulipes is an uncommon wasp [2] that occurs spread throughout the Netherlands [3,9] , but is not present in meadows and polder areas, and on the wadde islands [9].
2. BEHAVIOUR
2.1. ACTIVITY
The species is active from end april to half october [3].
2.2. DEVELOPMENT
Nest
The females built their nests in rotting wood like tree stemms and tree trunks [4,5]. They gnaw the nests themselves or use old beetle tunnels that are extended [5]. After 5-10 cm the main corridor branches into side corridors [4], which are about 3 to 5 cm deep. In each corridor there are no more than two brood-cellls [5] that are filled with 12 to 25 prey specimen [4,5], usually with 16 [4]. When the brood-cell is filled one egg is positioned on one of the prey specimen [14]. In total the nest can contain 12-20 brood-cells [4].
Each brood-cell is closed with a plug of chewed wood [4,14].
Development
The time for the small (1,2×0,3 mm) [14] white [14] eggs is unknown.
2.3. BEE HOTEL
The males can be found on and around the bee hotels. Regularly they will enter a nest hole and sit the opening looking out, and I suspect they use the hotel to sleep during the night.
The females nest in decayed wood and although they do show interest in the artificial nests I have yet to observe one use them. In 2020, three females had created their nests in a deep crack in the side of one of the nestblocks at ±2m height (section III, block 7). The wasps seemed to enter almost at the same spot but I think they had a different entrance although I have not been able to directly observe it.
Sawdust collected in a small mount at the entrance and on occasion a wasp would take a mouth full into the nest, presumably to plug a nest cell. The sawdust was transported using the jaws. I observed on occasion a wasp bringing prey home of an unidentified Cicadellidae.
One of the wasps was collected for identification.
2.4. MATING
Most Crabronidae females produce one generation per year [8].
2.5. HUNTING
The caught prey is transported belly-to-belly to the nest [14].
3. PLANT RELATIONS
3.1. WOOD
The following wood types are mentioned in literature as medium for the wasp to built her nests in:
| Platanus (Plane) [5] |
| Prunus (Peach) [14] |
| Quercus (Oak) [5] |
| Ulmus (Elm) [5,13] |
3.2. FOODPLANTS
The adult wasps feed with nectar. The following plants species and groups are mentioned in literature:
| Umbellifers [4] (Apicaceae) | – |
Garden species
The garden contains some umbellifers but I have not yet observed the species on them.
4. PREY RELATIONS
The species does not have a prey preference [9].
The following species and group occuring in the Netherlands [1] are mentioned in literature:
| Auchenorrhyncha (Cicadae) | Cicadellidae [4,12] adults as well as nymphs [8] Alebra [6,14] – Alebra albostriella [5] Elymana – Elymana sulphurella [4] Edwardsiana – Edwardsiana rosae [5] Empoasca [14] – Empoasca apicalis [6] – Empoasca fabae [8] Eupteryx – Eupteryx aurata [4] Eurhadina – Eurhadina concinna [6 ( as Eupteryx concinna ) ] Kyboasca – Kyboasca bipunctata [5] Ossiannilssonola [5] Ribautiana – Ribautiana ulmi [6 ( as Typhlocyba ulmi )] – Ribautiana tenerrima [6 ( as Typhlocyba tenerrima ) ] Typhlocyba [5,14] – Typhlocyba quercus [6] |
| Diptera (Flies) [7] | – |
| Hemiptera [12] | – |
| Heteroptera (True bugs) | Meridae [4,12] adults as well as nymphs [8] |
Psylloidea (Psyllids) | Psyllidae [4,12] Psylla [6] |
Garden species
None of the mentioned prey species have been observed yet in the garden but there are many Cicadellidae and Meridae.
5. PARASITIC RELATIONS
I have not found any literature references to nest parasites that also occur in the Netherlands.
6. IDENTIFICATION
Length males: 4,5 – 6 mm
Length females: 5 – 7 mm
Genus
Het genus Crossocerus can be recognized by the following characters:
1. Small to medium sized species, usually smaller than 10mm (here ±7 mm, female) [10]
2. Front wing with one submarginal cell [9,10,11]
3. Front wing submarginal cell and discoidal cell separated by vein [9,10,11]
4. Length stigma shorter than length raidal cell [9,11], stigma nnarrow [11]
5. Veins hind wing clear [11]
6. Dorsal side thorax (mesonotum) smooth or punctated (here punctated) [10]
7. Side thorax (mesopleuron) smooth or finely and widely spread punctated [10,11] (here finely and widely spread punctated)
8. Side thorax (mesopleuron) without precoxal keel (verticaulus) in front of middle coxa, at most with small protruding tooth [10] (here smooth)
9. Rear part side thorax (metapleuron) entirely or partially smooth, at most finely striped (here entirely smooth) [10]
10. Propodeum without protrusions [9,11]
11. Dorsal field propodeum entirely or for most part smooth, at most very finely striped (here smooth) [10,11]
12. Inneredge eyes stronly converging downwards [9,10,11]
13. Inneredge eyes without indentations [9,11]
14. Distance antenna base to inneredge eye smaller than antenna base diameter [10,11]
15. Ocelli shaped in acute triangle [9,10,11], or almost isosceles [11]
16. First abdominal segment not petiolate [10]
17. Length first abdominal tergite max 1,5x width apically [9,11]
18. Abdomen entirely black or with yellow markings (here entirely black) [9,10,11]
- Antenna with 12 segments [9,10,11]
2. Abdomen with 6 segments [9,10,11]
HEAD
1. Clypeus, frons [9,10] and inner edge eyes [11] black
2. Clypeus with tow clear teeth [9,10,11]
3. Mandible apically with 3 teeth, innere edge usually without tooth (here without tooth) [9,10,11]
4. Occipital carina ending with spine [11]
THORAX
1. Pronotum edges rounded [10,11]
2. Base thigh front leg angular [11]
3. Outside tarsus member 1 front leg with clear thorn row [9,10,11]
4. Dorsal field propodeum limited by clear furrow [9,11]
ABDOMEN
- Abdomen black, at most pygidium redbrown [9,10,11]
2. Tergite 2 and 3 without restriction at the base [10,11]
3. Pygidium with concave sides [9,10,11]
4. Pygidium glossy and with well defined frame, not 3-lobed [9,10,11]
5. Tergiet 6 with some hairs next to pygidium [10,11]
- Antenna with 13 segments [9,10,11]
2. Abdomen with 7 segments [9,10,11]
HEAD
1. Occipital carina ending in clearly angular [10], ending thornlike [9], wide with clear tooth [11]
2. Final antennal segment apically truncated [10]
3. Clypeus black [11]
THORAX
1. Thorax entirely black [10]
2. Pronotum sides without tooth [11]
3. Dorsal field propodeum limited by furrow [9,10]
4. Shin (tibia) front leg enlarged towards the tip, with erect bristles [9,10]
5. Tarsal member 1 frint leg enlarged and flattened, clearly wider than tarsal member 1 middle leg [10]
6. Tarsal member 1 front leg widened, the next two members (2, 3) clearly widened and flattened [9,10]
7. Tarsal member front leg strongly enlarged, yellow with 2 to 3 darker spots [9,10,11]
Shin (tibia) hind leg:
8. Black [10]
9. Not enlarged
10. Outside often with clear and long thorns [11]
11. Base trochanter and thigh (femur) front leg with angular protrusion [11]
ABDOMEN
1. Abdomen entirely black [9,10,11]
2. Tergites 2 and 3 without constriction at base [10,11]
Here there is a light contriction.
In case of constriction, in C. acanthophorus, there is a clear dorsal narrowing which makes tergite 1 look like it is humped, in lateral view.
3. Tergite 7 not stronger punctated than tergite 6 [9,10]
[DOLLFUSS]: Tergite 7 no visible punctation [11]
References
1 Nederlands Soortenregister2 Waarneming.nl
3 Peeters, T.M.J., C. van Achterberg, W.R.B. Heitmans, W.F. Klein, V. Lefeber, A.J. van Loon, A.A. Mabelis, H. Nieuwen-huijsen, M. Reemer, J. de Rond, J. Smit, H.H.W. Velthuis, 2004. De wespen en mieren van Nederland (Hymenoptera: Aculeata). – Nederlandse Fauna 6. Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum Naturalis, Leiden, knnv Uitgeverij, Utrecht & European Invertebrate Survey – Nederland, Leiden.
4 Blösch, M. (2000). Die Grabwespen Deutschlands – Lebens‐weise, Verhalten, Verbreitung. 71. Teil. In Dahl, F.: Die Tierwelt Deutschlands. Begr.: 1925. – Keltern (Goecke & Evers). – 480 S. 341 Farbfotos. ISBN 3‐931374‐26‐2 (hardcover). DM 98,–. Zool. Reihe, 78: 353-353. https://doi.org/10.1002/mmnz.20020780208
5 MICHENER, Charles D. Notes on crabronine wasp nests. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 1971, 44.3: 405-407.
6 Hamm, A. & Richards, O.. (2009). The biology of the British Crabronidae. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London. 74. 297 - 331. 10.1111/j.1365-2311.1926.tb02241.x.
7 Ruchin, Alexander & Antropov, Alexander. (2019). Wasp fauna (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae, Chrysididae, Dryinidae, Tiphiidae, Mutillidae, Scoliidae, Pompilidae, Vespidae, Sphecidae, Crabronidae & Trigonalyidae) of Mordovia State Nature Reserve and its surroundings in Russia. Journal of Threatened Taxa. 11. 13195-13250. 10.11609/jott.4216.11.2.13195-13250.
8 KURCZEWSKI, F. E.; MILLER, R. C. Observations on some nests of Crossocerus (Blepharipus) A. Annulipes (Lepeletier and Brulle)(Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 1986, 88.1: 157-162.
9 KLEIN, Wim. De graafwespen van de Benelux. Jeugdbondsuitgeverij, Utrecht, 1996, 1-130. + KLEIN, Wim. De graafwespen van de Benelux: supplement. Jeugdbondsuitgeverij, 1999.
10 JACOBS, H. J (2007): Die Grabwespen Deutschlands Ampulicidae. Sphecidae, Crabronidae–Bestimmungsschlüssel in Blank, SM & Taeger, A (Hrsg): Die Tierwelt Deutschlands und der angrenzenden Meeresteile nach ihren Merkmalen und nach ihrer Lebensweise, Hymenoptera III–Keltern, Goecke & Evers, 79: 1-207.
11 Hermann Dollfuss, "Bestimmungsschlüssel der Grabwespen Nord- und Zentraleuropas (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae) mit speziellen Angaben zur Grabwespenfauna Österreichs", Publikation der Botanischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft am O.Ö.Landesmuseum Linz, LINZ, 20. Dezember 1991
12 LOMHOLDT, O. 1975-1976; 1984 (2. Auflage). The Sphecidae (Hymenoptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica, 4.1: 2.
13 FORMSTONE, Bryan; HOWE, Mike. Brownfield sites and their value for invertebrates–A survey of selected sand quarries in north-east Wales in 2013: Borras Quarry and Marford Quarry.
14 BOHART, Richard M.; BOHART, Richard Mitchell; MENKE, Arnold S. Sphecid wasps of the world: a generic revision. Univ of California Press, 1976.
