Kingdom Animalia Order Hymenoptera Family Pompilidae Scientific name Episyron gallicum Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Suborder Apocrita Genus Episyron Higher classification Episyron | |
Similar Episyron, Hymenopterans, Episyron rufipes, Dipogon variegatus, Anoplius nigerrimus | ||
Episyron gallicum is a spider-eating wasp which, as its name suggests, has a distribution centred on France.
Contents
Habits
It hunts terrestrial spiders which hunt their prey such as Wolf spiders as opposed to web weaving spiders. The spider is paralysed with a sting and then the helpless spider is sealed in a tunnel and the wasp lays an egg on it. The grub dines on the living spider when it hatches.
Habitat
Open terrain with loose sandy soil.
Distribution
Southern Europe but has recently expanded its range into Poland, Germany and the United Kingdom.
References
Episyron gallicum Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA