''Monosapyga clavicornis'' is a
hymenopteran from the
family Sapygidae. The species is common and not endangered.
Description
The animals reach a body length of 8 to 12 millimetres. Their body is black and has small yellow spots on the head,
thorax and legs. On each of the second to fourth abdominal segments there is a pair of yellow patches, which usually merge to form bandages. On the last
tergite there is another yellow spot in the middle, in the males it is whitish coloured. The tips of the
antennae (biology) are yellow-brown.
Occurrence
The species is widespread in
Central Europe and is common in places. It lives near the nesting places of its hosts, especially on old wooden posts. The flight period is from March/April to July.
Biology
The wasp parasitizes
bees
Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...
of the genera ''
Heriades
''Heriades'' is a genus of bee in the family Megachilidae. Fairly small and usually black, they are found all over the world. There are more than 130 species worldwide, roughly 25 species in North and Central America, but only 3 species are nativ ...
'', ''
Osmia
Mason bee is a name now commonly used for species of bees in the genus ''Osmia'', of the family Megachilidae. Mason bees are named for their habit of using mud or other "masonry" products in constructing their nests, which are made in naturally ...
'' and ''
Anthophora''. The females are often found near the nest openings of bees in dead wood or hollow stalks. An egg is laid anywhere in an unsealed brood cell of bees, filled with pollen and nectar. The wasp larva hatching from it first sucks out the bee egg and then feeds on the supplies. In some years the wasp populations are so large that they can significantly decimate the bees.
Sources
*
Heiko Bellmann
Heiko Bellmann (17 March 1950 – 7 March 2014) was a German biologist, writer, zoologist
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Ani ...
: ''Bienen, Wespen, Ameisen. Hautflügler Mitteleuropas''. Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co KG, Stuttgart 1995, .
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1500658
Sapygidae