''Caliadurgus fasciatellus'' is a 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 ...

from the subfamily

Pepsinae The Pepsinae are a subfamily of the spider wasp family, Pompilidae, including the tarantula hawks, as well as smaller species. Genera *''Ageniella'' Banks, 1912 *'' Allaporus'' Banks, 1933 *''Auplopus'' Spinola, 1841 250px, '' Auplopus carbona ...

found from Western Europe to the Far East of Asia.

Taxonomy

The name ''Caliadurgus'' was proposed originally by Pate in 1946 as a replacement for a preoccupied name, ''Calicurgus'', published by Lepeletier in 1845. However, Pate explicitly selected ''Sphex hyalinata'' as the type species, while Kohl had selected ''Pompilus fasciatellus'' to be the type of Lepeletier's genus. Pate and others mistakenly thought that ''fasciatellus'' and ''hyalinata'' were the same species, but later researchers discovered that these were two different taxa, one now known as ''Caliadurgus fasciatellus'' and the other now known as '' Priocnemis hyalinata''.

Description

''C. fasciatellus'' reaches in length. The 1st and 2nd segments of the abdomen are brownish red with white spurs in the middle and hind legs.

Distribution

In Europe found from

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 ...

east to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

south to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. In Great Britain it is mainly confined to the south and east.

Biology

The flight period in Britain is June to October with a peak in July and August. It is not known what plants are used by the adults for feeding on nectar. It hunts orb web spiders of the genera ''

Araneus ''Araneus'' is a genus of common orb-weaving spiders. It includes about 650 species, among which are the European garden spider and the barn spider. The genus was erected by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1757. Description Spiders of this genus prese ...

'' and ''

Meta Meta (from the Greek μετά, '' meta'', meaning "after" or "beyond") is a prefix meaning "more comprehensive" or "transcending". In modern nomenclature, ''meta''- can also serve as a prefix meaning self-referential, as a field of study or ende ...

''.Bogdan Wisniowski: Spider-hunting wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). of Poland Ojców National Park, Ojców 2009, (ISBN formally incorrect 83-60337-15-4). It excavates short, vertical burrows in sandy substrate once the prey has been caught. The prey is gripped in the jaws, between the thorax and abdomen, and transported to the burrow by being carried in front of the wasp. The prey is placed in a vertical position in the cell.

Habitat

Exposed dry sandy or sandy clay soils.

References

Pepsinae Hymenoptera of Europe Hymenoptera of Asia Insects described in 1808 {{apocrita-stub