Episyron gallicum is a spider-eating wasp which, as its name suggests, has a distribution centred on France.
| Episyron gallicum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Pompilidae |
| Genus: | Episyron |
| Species: | E. gallicum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Episyron gallicum | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Habits
editIt 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.[2]
Habitat
editOpen terrain with loose sandy soil.[3]
Distribution
editSouthern Europe but has recently expanded its range into Poland, Germany and the United Kingdom.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Fauna Europaea - Episyron gallicum (Tournier, 1889)". Archived from the original on 9 July 2012.
- ^ Roger Highfield (11 May 2006). "French wasp flies in to eat our spiders". Telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ a b http://www.bedslife.org.uk/documents/newsletters/BioNews%20Spring%2006.pdf, [dead link]
External links
edit
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