''Anoplius concinnus'' is a widespread Eurasian species of

spider wasp Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary (with the exception of some group-ne ...

Distribution

This species can be found throughout Europe as far west as

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

, North Africa and the Middle East and eastwards to Mongolia. In Britain it is found as far north as the

Moray Firth The Moray Firth (; Scottish Gaelic: ''An Cuan Moireach'', ''Linne Mhoireibh'' or ''Caolas Mhoireibh'') is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotl ...

Habitat and ecology

Adult wasps run on wet stones exposed in gravel stream beds, flying between them and the stream banks, and can also be found at the margins of pools formed in sand and gravel pits. The flight period is from June to September in Britain. In the northern German lowlands there may be two generations per year. ''A. concinnus'' overwinters in the last larval stage and the males appear from the end of May. The males often break into cells to mate with newly emerged females. The prey of ''A. concinnus'' consist of spiders of the family

Lycosidae Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae (). They are robust and agile hunters with excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude, hunt alone, and do not spin webs. Some are opportunistic hunters, pouncing upon prey as they find it or ...

. The wasps search for the spiders under stones. In sand pit pools, females prey on spiders that run over the surface of the very shallow water near the edges. Females excavate multiple cells beneath stones which are stocked with spiders. In north-west

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, ''A. concinnus'' has been found nesting in urban areas between paving stones; nests may be as deep as 9 cm and contain up to seven cells. Spiders, which are captured after the cells have been excavated, are placed one in each cell. Females may rob each other's cells, and fighting may occur. ''

Anoplius infuscatus ''Anoplius infuscatus'' is a species of spider wasp found mainly in Eurasia. Distribution ''A. infuscatus'' occurs in Europe (including southern Britain) and North Africa, east to the Pacific. Identification ''A. infuscatus'' is about 10 ...

'' has been recorded kleptoparasiting ''A. concinnus'' in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

: female ''A. infuscatus'' may enter the nest of ''A. concinnus'' and destroy the egg already laid on the prey before placing one of its own.

References

Hymenoptera of Europe Pompilinae Insects described in 1843 Taxa named by Anders Gustaf Dahlbom {{apocrita-stub