1972] 
Kurczewski & Evans — Bothy nostethus 
95 
leading to the old cell and in constructing a side burrow and new 
cell. If such is the case, this wasp completed four cells in a single 
day and probably would not have remained with a nest for more 
than several days under optimal weather conditions. 
Provisions. Females of B. distinctus preyed exclusively upon adult 
beetles of the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Galerucinae. At 
Colonie, prey taken from cells of the first nest (H23) included 29 
specimens of Pyrrhalta decora (Say) and 3 of P. perplexa Fall. 
Both species occur on willow. Several cells in this nest contained 
only P. decora. Prey of the second nest (H23K) comprised 4 
P. spiraeae Fall (host: Spiraea ), 1 P. perplexa, and 1 P. cavicollis 
(Leconte) (host: Prunus). The four prey collected from the nest 
at Bedford proved to be Ophraeila notata (Fabr.) (host: Eupa- 
torium perfoliatum) . Cazier and Mortenson (1965) captured a 
female of B. distinctus in Arizona with her prey, Monoxia sp. 
(Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae). Except for those beetles which had 
been devoured by the wasp larvae, prey collected from all three 
nests at both Colonie and Bedford were alive as indicated by the 
movements of the legs and abdominal segments. 
Fully-provisioned cells of B. distinctus contained from 4 to 9 
beetles. Seven cells in nest H23 held 4-9 (mean 5) beetles per cell, 
and eight cells in nest H23K contained 4-6 (mean 5) prey per cell. 
The single cell excavated at Bedford had 4 beetles. The prey indi- 
viduals weighed from 7 to 16 (mean 11.4) and from 12 to 15 
(mean 13.6) mg, respectively, in nests H23 and H23K (32, 7 beetles). 
A number of beetles from the second nest were damaged during 
excavation and were not weighed. The two wasps associated with 
these nests each weighed 10 mg, or slightly less than an average- 
sized beetle. The total weight of prey per cell in these nests ranged 
from 44 to 68 (mean 55.8) mg in four of the cells. 
The beetles were placed in the cells in a variety of positions. In 
cells with few prey (4 or 5/cell), the individuals were mostly head- 
inward but either dorsal-side-up, ventral-side-up, or on the side. 
Some beetles were even placed perpendicular to the long axis of the 
cell. The fact that most individuals were head-inward is linked to 
the manner of the female’s transport of the beetle, i. e., head-forward. 
Egg. The female of B. distinctus did not lay her egg until the 
full complement of prey had been put in the cell. In most cells 
the egg-bearing beetle was one of the innermost prey and was 
positioned ventral-side-upward and head-inward. In one nest (H23), 
four such beetles weighed 11-16 (mean 13.3) mg, or were slightly 
larger than the average-sized prey. 
