Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Suborder Apocrita Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Order Hymenoptera Superfamily Vespoidea | |
Similar Arachnospila, Dolichomitus imperator, Great Potter Wasp, Arachnospila trivialis, Anoplius nigerrimus | ||
Arachnospila anceps is one of the more common spider wasps of western Europe.
Contents
Description
A. anceps is a medium-sized, black and red spider wasp.
Distribution
Northern and central Europe, including most of Britain and Ireland, and in Asia east to Mongolia.
Biology
The flight period is May to September and it is probably univoltine. A wide range of spiders are taken as prey; Lycosidae, Clubionidae and Thomisidae have definitely recorded and possibly Gnaphosidae and Agelenidae. The spider is paralysed before being dragged backwards to the nest site where it is hidden on a plant while the burrow is excavated, excavation being quite rapid. It occurs in a variety of habitats and on most soils with the possible exception of heavy clay soils. There are no records of which flowers are visited by A anceps for nectar.