Hedychridium ardens (Latreille in Coquebert,1801)
Description and notes
Identification keys and general biology are given in Morgan (1984), Kunz (1994) and Mingo (1994).
Distribution
Recorded from Cornwall to Kent and north to Cumberland and South-east Yorkshire with four records from Scotland (Wigtownshire, Berwickshire, East Perthshire and Moray). Found in Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Isles of Scilly and the Channel Islands.
Overseas, found in many parts of Europe; particularly northern and central countries, less so in the south and east (Sweden, Finland, Denmark, The Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy), North Africa and Asia (Turkey, Israel, Caucasus and Mongolia).
Status (in Britain only)
This species is not regarded as being scarce or threatened.
Habitat
Found in open sandy areas associated with the nesting habitat of its host (see below). Found in a wide variety of habitats: colliery spoil heaps, inland sandy areas including lowland heaths, and coastal areas including sand dunes, sand and shingle beaches.
Flight period
Probably univoltine; June, July and August, sometimes during May.
Flowers visited
Hawk's-beard, mignonette, stonecrop and yarrow.
Parasites
No information available.
Parasitic biology
The host of this species is possibly Tachysphex pompiliformis (Morgan, 1984), and overseas, T. unicolor (Mingo, 1994). On detecting a host nest the female enters and lays an egg in each of the host's cells. The larva could either be a cleptoparasite destroying the egg or young larva of its host before eating the food stores, or a parasitoid eating the mature host larva.
Year profile last updated
1998