''Episyron rufipes'', the red-legged spider wasp, is a red and black or completely black spider-hunting wasp.
Description
8–12.5 mm in length. Adults are mainly black with white spots on the abdomen with the two rear legs having the middle leg, tibia and femur coloured red.
Habitat
Associated with dry sandy habitats such as coastal dunes, landslips and grasslands; as well as inland heathlands
(e.g.
Breckland
Breckland in Norfolk and Suffolk is a 39,433 hectare Special Protection Area (SPA) under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. The SPA partly overlaps the 7,544 hectare Breckland Special Area of Conservation. As a la ...
), gravel pits and gardens on sandy soils.
Biology
Excavates burrows in loose sandy soil using specialised tarsal combs often in aggregations of burrows created by females.
The burrows are usually stocked with orb-spiders, mainly ''
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 ...
'' and ''
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 ...
'' spp. although
Lycosidae may also be predated. The prey are temporarily hung on a nearby plant whilst the burrow is dug. Some females steal the prey captured by its neighbour and females will even fight for the possession of another female's prey, i.e.
kleptoparasitism. Eventually some females learn to steal the spiders in the burrow, either by driving away the rightful owner while she was sealing up the burrow, or by hunting through the soil around the aggregated burrows to find sealed burrows.
In Britain the flight period of adults is June to August.
Both sexes of ''Episyron rufipes'' are often seen visiting the flowers of
umbellifers
Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants ...
for nectar.
''Episyron rufipes'' nests are parasitised by the spider wasp ''
Evagetes pectinipes''; the female of which eats the egg of ''Episyron'' and then replaces it with her own egg before the nest is resealed. ''E . rufipes'' is also parasitised by ''
Ceropales maculata
''Ceropales maculata'' is a kleptoparasitic spider wasp found in the holoarctic region.
Biology
''Ceropales maculata'' is an uncommon spider wasp. This species intercepts other spider wasps engaged in prey transport and lays its eggs in the boo ...
''.
Distribution
Western Europe to Central Asia. In Britain, it is widespread and locally common in coastal areas of the south as far north as
Yorkshire and
Lancashire. It is less common in the north.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2168123
Pompilinae
Hymenoptera of Europe
Wasps described in 1758
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus