Sceliphron caementarium (Drury, 1773)

Cassar, Thomas & Mifsud, David, 2020, The introduction and establishment of Sceliphron caementarium (Drury, 1773) (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae) in Malta (Central Mediterranean), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 79, pp. 163-168 : 163

Sceliphron caementarium (Drury, 1773)

Material examined.

Malta • 2 ♂♂ & 2 ♀♀ ex. mud nest collected from a building wall; Ħal Tarxien; Dec. 2019 , emerged Jun. 2020; D. Mifsud leg. • 1♀ photographed collecting mud; Ħ’Attard; 31 Aug. 2018; V. Falzon leg. ( Fig. 1 ) .

Both the photographed and examined specimens conform well to the diagnosis of S. caementarium provided by Schmid-Egger (2005). The overall colour is black; the scutellum, post-scutellum, tegulae and mesopleura are marked with yellow; the antennal scapes are yellow; the propodeum is marked with a yellow spot just before the petiole; tergite 1 is marked with dark yellow; the legs are marked with yellow and black; the petiole is straight and completely black; the wings are brown, becoming more infuscate in the distal half; and the hind coxa bulges in a rounded manner.

Figures

Figure 1. Female Sceliphron caementarium collecting mud in Ħ'Attard, Malta.