Spilomena mocsaryi Kohl, 1898

Verheyde, Fons, Jacobs, JEffrEY, Dekoninck, WOUTEr, Achterberg, Kees Van, Rond, JErOEn, Blanck, Tim De, Schoonvaere, KarEL, Nieuwenhuijsen, Hans, Ketelaere, Augustijn De, Minnebo, BarT & Ferrer-Suay, Mar, 2023, Remarks on Hymenoptera on urban green roofs in Belgium, Belgian Journal of Entomology 140, pp. 1-37 : 9

Spilomena mocsaryi Kohl, 1898

BELGIUM: • 1 ♀; N51.125° E4.260°; vi/2021; J. Jacobs leg.; coll. KS; pitfall trap; K. Schoonvaere det. • 1 ♀; N51.135° E4.241°; vii/2021; J. Jacobs leg.; coll. KS; pan trap (yellow); K. Schoonvaere det. • 1 ♀; N51.135° E4.241°; ix/2021; J. Jacobs leg.; coll. KS; pan trap (blue); K. Schoonvaere det. [3 occ. (1 year), 3 roofs]

Remarks:

This is the rarest crabronid wasp on a national level which was encountered in this study. The species was erroneously mentioned in several previous studies but its definitive presence was only very recently confirmed based on females observed on old city walls in Liège, between 2018 and 2022 ( BAUGNÉE & BARBIER, 2023).

The species is not very easy to identify. The scutellum has no grooves anteriorly and the clypeus is equally rounded, without any aberrations. There are grooves however on the hind margin of the mesonotum, the wing veins are hyaline or somewhat light yellowish and finally, the mandibles are yellow, apically with a red-brown border ( JACOBS, 2007).

Spilomena spp. are known to nest in vegetation or in dead wood (using tunnels of saproxylic beetles). Preys are larvae of thrips (Thysanoptera) ( VAN LITH, 1955; BLÜTHGEN, 1960).