Hedychridium coriaceum (Dahlbom,1854)
Description and notes
Identification keys and general biology are given in Morgan (1984), Gauld & Bolton (1988), Kunz (1989) and Falk (1991).
Distribution
Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire, Essex and London. Morgan (1984) also gives Devon, Isle of Wight and Lancashire, but detailed records for these counties have not been found.
Found in many parts of Europe (Sweden, Finland, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, former Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary) and north Africa (Tunisia).
Status (in Britain only)
Listed as Rare (RDB3) in Shirt (1987) and Falk (1991).
Habitat
Found in open, sunny, sandy habitats. Associated with the nesting habitat of its host.
Flight period
Based on the few records available, flies from June until August, with July being the most likely month when adults can be found. On mainland Europe found from May until September.
Flowers visited
Cinquefoil, smooth hawk's-beard, hogweed, sheep's-bit, stitchwort, thrift and yarrow.
Parasitic biology
Hedychridium coriaceum has been seen flying around, entering and leaving the burrows of the crabronid wasp Lindenius albilabris (Fabricius) (Arnold, 1908, 1910; Mortimer, 1913). It is likely that the female will enter the burrow and lay an egg in each cell, as in H. ardens. The larva could either be a cleptoparasite destroying the egg or young larva of its host before eating the food store, or a parasitoid eating the mature host larva.
Year profile last updated
2001