Nesting behaviour and description of the larva of Alysson spinosus (Panzer, 1801) (Hymenoptera: Bembicidae)

Abstract

The paper presents new data on the nesting habits of the digger wasp Alysson spinosus (Hymenoptera: Bembicidae). As food for larvae, the female provisioned about 7–8 hemipteran nymphs or imagines per cell. The collected prey belongs to two families of true hoppers (five species of Delphacidae and one species of Cicadellidae). Nests are built in sandy, shaded areas, and consist of a 10–12 cm long main burrow with 1–3 brood cells. Both sexes search for food (honeydew) on the leaves of lilac or small-leaved linden. The nests were infested by the dipteran kleptoparasitic Metopia argyrocephala (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). The mature larva is similar to that of the Nearctic Alysson melleus, from which it differs in having a blunt apical mandibular tooth and more prominent setae on the clypeus and labrum.