Nesting habits, alternative nesting strategies and female territoriality of the cockroach-hunting solitary wasp Penepodium luteipenne (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)

By

Buys, Sandor Christiano.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2012

Original Publication

Journal of Hymenoptera research

Volume

24

Pages

27-41

Subjects

Behaviour, biology, cleptoparasitism, Podiini

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Washington, D.C International Society of Hymenopterists

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.24.1828

 

Abstract

The nesting behaviour of the cockroach-hunting solitary wasp Penepodium luteipenne (Fabricius, 1804) is described, including five different nesting tactics: digging of new nests, use of pre-existing burrows in the soil, brood parasitism of open nests, brood parasitism of closed nests, and nest usurpation. Observations of a peculiar female territorial behaviour are also provided. Knowledge of the behaviour of other species of the tribe Podiini is summarized and compared with the behaviour of P. luteipenne. This study is based on nesting females observed in the Biological Reserve of Poço das Antas, an area in southeastern Brazil covered by Atlantic Forest.