Anoplius infuscatus (Vander Linden,1827)

Distribution

England and Wales north to South Lancashire, South-west Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. The species has not been found in Ireland but it is present on the larger Channel Islands.

Overseas, the species occurs in Europe, north Africa and east to the Pacific (Wolf, 1972).

Status (in Britain only)

This species is not regarded as being scarce or threatened.

Identification

Day, 1988 is the standard work for identifying British Pompilidae. Wiśniowski, B., 2009 is also useful.

Habitat

A species of moist sand, especially in coastal areas (Day, 1988). Can be abundant in suitable habitats (M Edwards, pers. comm.).

Flight period

Univoltine; June to September.

Prey collected

Mostly spiders of the family Lycosidae are taken, but Agelenidae and Thomisidae are also used.

Nesting biology

Nests are constructed in bare sand. After capture, the single prey item is stored in a tuft of vegetation while the nest is being constructed (Day, 1988).

Flowers visited

Males have been recorded on a variety of umbellifers.

Author of profile

A S Davidson.

Year profile last updated

2001