Ectemnius hypsae (De Stefani, 1894)

Suárez, Daniel, 2017, Three new Hymenoptera species for the Canary Islands (Spain)., Arquivos Entomolóxicos 18, pp. 267-270 : 268

Ectemnius hypsae (De Stefani, 1894) ( Fig. 1b )

GRAN CANARIA : Tenteniguada (Valsequillo), 28 R 447984 3094638 , 30.VI.2017, 2 ♀♀ on Foeniculum vulgare ; 09.VII.2017, 1 ♀ on F. vulgare ; 29.VII.2017, 1 ♂ on F. vulgare .

Global distribution: Circum-Mediterranean ( Bitsch & Leclercq, 1993).

The endemism Ectemnius continuus ssp. rufitarsis (Dalla Torre, 1897) was the only species of the genus Ectemnius Dahlbom, 1845 found in the Canary Islands up to now. It is distributed in the lower parts of Tenerife and La Gomera and, as E. hypsae , it feeds on the pollen of F. vulgare . This ruderal species is a feeding resource for a great number of bees and wasps during the summer. In Tenteniguada, a village found at an altitude of 1,010 m a.s.l., E. hypsae has been observed simultaneously with Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758) (Vespoidea, Vespidae ) and the endemism Cerceris concinna Brullé, 1839 . The latter attacked E. hypsae several times in order to expel it from the plant.

Figures

Fig. 1. Distribution of the new records in the Canary Islands. Red dots indicate the localities of Colletes perezi while the orange one indicates the locality of Ectemnius hypsae and Leucospis dorsigera. a.- Colletes perezi on Tamarix canariensis. b.- Ectemnius hypsae on Foeniculum vulgare. c.- Leucospis dorsigera on Foeniculum vulgare.