Hedychrum rutilans (lat. Hedychrum rutilans)

Hedychrum rutilans
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Hedychrum rutilans is a species of cuckoo wasps (insects in the family Chrysididae). The species occurs primarily in Austria, Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, France, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and in North Africa. The head and thorax are metallic green with red spots, while the abdomen is red. The color is more green and partially golden in the male and more extensively golden-red in the female. The body is somewhat hairy.

Hedychrum rutilans – Biology

Biology

Hedychrum rutilans is a cleptoparasite and parasitoid of larvae of beewolves (Philanthus triangulum and Philanthus coronatus). The female cuckoo wasp lays its eggs on the paralyzed honeybee workers serving as provisions for the beewolf larvae, placed by the female beewolf in its brood cells. The cuckoo wasp larvae feed on the honeybees and on the larvae of the beewolf. Adults grow up to 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in) long and can be encountered from late June to September, often feeding on flowers of Mentha species, Achillea millefolium and Euphorbia paralias, but also on honeydew or various exudates. They prefer sandy and warm habitats.

Subspecies

Hedychrum rutilans var. rutilans Dahlbom, 1854 Hedychrum rutilans var. subparvulum Linsenmaier, 196 Hedychrum rutilans var. viridiauratum Mocsáry, 1889 Hedychrum rutilans var. viridiaureum Tournier, 1877

Strohm, Erhard; Kroiss, Johannes; Herzner, Gudrun; Laurien-Kehnen, Claudia; Boland, Wilhelm; Schreier, Peter; Schmitt, Thomas (2008). “A cuckoo in wolves’ clothing? Chemical mimicry in a specialized cuckoo wasp of the European beewolf (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae and Crabronidae)”. Frontiers in Zoology. 5: 2. doi:10.1186/1742-9994-5-2. PMC 2262889. PMID 18190702.

Ancestry graph

Arthropods Insects Narrow-waisted Wasps, Ants, and Bees Cuckoo Wasps Hedychrum rutilans Ruby-tailed Cuckoo Wasps
Arthropods Insects Narrow-waisted Wasps, Ants, and Bees Cuckoo Wasps Hedychrum rutilans Ruby-tailed Cuckoo Wasps

Copyright and source information

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„Hedychrum rutilans“ also appeared in the following editions of Arthropods Daily

Hedychrum rutilans

No. 1049 |

Hedychrum rutilans

Hedychrum rutilans is a species of cuckoo wasps (insects in the family Chrysididae). The species occurs primarily in Austria, Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, France, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and in North Africa. The head and thorax are metallic green with red spots, while the abdomen is red. The color is more green and partially golden in the male and more extensively golden-red in the female. The body is somewhat hairy.

Hedychrum rutilans

No. 1045 |

Hedychrum rutilans

Hedychrum rutilans is a species of cuckoo wasps (insects in the family Chrysididae). The species occurs primarily in Austria, Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, France, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and in North Africa. The head and thorax are metallic green with red spots, while the abdomen is red. The color is more green and partially golden in the male and more extensively golden-red in the female. The body is somewhat hairy.

Hedychrum rutilans – image 1
Hedychrum rutilans – image 2