This forum is a place to discuss matters related to BWARS and general matters related to aculeates.
It is not intended as a forum for identification queries. We may add this feature in due course, but meanwhile, if you need help identifying bees, wasps and ants, please use either iRecord or UK Bees, Wasps and Ants Facebook page, for recording your find.
David Baldock et al - The Vespiform Wasps of Portugal, is available to purchase (19 euros plus carriage) or downloaded from here: The Vespiform Wasps of Portugal
BWARS members can purchase a copy of the Atlas of aculeate Hymenoptera of Lancashire for the pre-publication offer of £10.00 (inc. P & P), please make enquires direct to Dave Bickerton by 17th Jan sec@lacfs.org.uk with your name and address. You’ll be given a reference number and details of how to pay.
A slender ant with a high promesonotum, low propodeum, short spines and long gently curved antennal scapes. Aphaenogaster subterranea looks a bit like a Myrmica, at 3-5mm it is a similar size but is slimmer and has short spines. The petiole has a long peduncle rather like a Stenamma.
Distribution:
It is not found in the British mainland but there are occasional records from the Channel Isles.
Common in central and southern Europe.
Status (in Britain only):
The Channel Islands are not included in assessments of conservation status either in Shirt (1987) or by Falk (1991).
The pale to dark brown workers and brownish black males are very small (1-2mm and 1.5mm-2mm long, respectively). Queens are relatively large at 3-4mm long (Collingwood 1979).
Video:
Distribution:
Plagiolepis pallescens occurs in the Channel Islands, but is absent from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Elsewhere, it occurs in central and eastern Europe, its range extending south into Italy and Greece.
Status (in Britain only):
The Channel Islands are not included in assessments of conservation status either in Shirt (1987) or by Falk (1991).
Habitat:
Plagiolepis pallescens may be found in warm, dry, open areas where it nests under stones and in rock crevices. In the Channel Islands it colonises coastal cliffs.
Identification:
Flight period:
Nests contain winged sexuals between June and August (Seifert 1996). Nesting biology and foraging behaviour Colonies usually have several queens. Workers tend homopterans for honeydew and forage for nectar. They follow trails to permanent food sources (Seifert 1996).
A genus of small ground dwelling ants. The majority of records are from green-houses or other permantly heated buildings. Outdoor records are usually from piles of rotting or fermanting matter. There are known to be three species present in the British Isles but very similar morphology makes determining specimens to species difficult.. The best known is H. punctatissama iso Seifert, 2013 with scattered records across all areas; H. ergatandria iso Seifert, 2013 only recently split from H. punctatissama and H.
Distribution:
See the species pages
Identification:
Seifert (2013) gives a method of separating the species based on measurments of the head width and scape length. The input of data has to be in millimetres and accurate for three decimal points. For Head width, CW and Scape length, SL:
If SL/CW > 0.88 you have H. eduardi
else
For workers and ergatomorphic females calculate the function D = 142.82 SL – 68.67 CW –26.12 Specimens with D<0 belong to H. ergatandria and those with D>0 to H. punctatissima.
For gynomorphic females calculate the function D = 85.90 SL – 18.54 CW – 30.312 Specimens with D<0 belong to H. ergatandria and those with D>0 to H. punctatissima.
Michael Archer has kindly made avaiable a key to British "DEB" species. This can be downloaded here.
Michael comments "I have produced these keys via Perkins although I am grateful for the help I have received from Olmi". Note: Olmi authored the key work to Fenno-Scandian DEBS (Olmi, 1994).
A draft key to the British DEBS (Dryinidae, Embolemidae & Bethylidae) by Michael Archer. Michael comments "I have produced these keys via Perkins although I am grateful for the help I have received from Olmi". Note: Olmi authored the key work to Fenno-Scandian DEBS (Olmi, 1994).
Hylaeus signatus male emerging from roost
Pseudomalus auratus
