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First contribution to the bionomics of the pollen wasp Ceramius palaestinensis (Giordani Soika, 1957) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Masarinae) in Turkey
Author(s) -
MAUSS Volker,
MÜLLER Andreas,
YILDIRIM Erol
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
entomological science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1479-8298
pISSN - 1343-8786
DOI - 10.1111/j.1479-8298.2010.00370.x
Subject(s) - biology , burrow , bionomics , pollen , brood , inflorescence , nest (protein structural motif) , vespidae , hymenoptera , achene , botany , ecology , larva , biochemistry
Data about the bionomics of the pollen wasp Ceramius palaestinensis (Giordani Soika, 1957) are presented for the first time. Ceramius palaestinensis is characterized by the following ethological elements: (i) the nest is excavated in non‐friable soil; (ii) the burrow is surmounted by a turret from earth extracted from within the burrow; (iii) the nest is possibly perennial; (iv) the nest has a relatively short, vertical to sub‐vertical main shaft with an expansion at the bottom; (v) the main shaft is not terminated by a cell; (vi) secondary shafts are absent; (vii) the cells are sub‐horizontal, all at different depths; (viii) brood cells are constructed mud‐cells built within an excavated cell, formed from earth excavated within the burrow; (ix) imagines visit only flowers of Trifolium (Fabaceae) and brood cells are provisioned exclusively with pollen from this plant genus; Trifolium species varying considerably in inflorescence morphology lead to different positions of foraging wasps on the inflorescences during flower visits; Trifolium resupinatum or T. clusii inflorescences with resupinate flowers function as a disc‐shaped pseudanthium with the vexilla of the flowers arranged on the outer periphery serving as petal‐like exhibition organs; and (x) males patrol and perch at water collection sites, at flowers and within nesting aggregations; copulations or copulatory attempts are observed there.