Hedychrum niemelai Linsenmaier,1959
Synonyms
Hedychrum aureicolle ssp. niemelai LINSENMAIER 1959
Description and notes
Previously known as Hedychrum nobile, a misidentification, and H. aureicolle Mocsary. Identification keys and general biology are given in Morgan (1984), Falk (1991) and Kunz (1994).
A very similar species - Hedychrum nobile - was recently discovered in Britain. The separation of H. niemelai and H. nobile is described in this paper
Distribution
Recorded from Cornwall to Kent and north to Oxfordshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire. Also found in Jersey.
The first map shows records for Hedychrum niemelai agg. The name Hedychrum niemelai has been applied to both H. neimelai and H. nobile in the
past. Older records (pre 2015) based on non-rexamined vouchers are mapped here. The second map shows only records for Hedychrum niemelai iso. Paukkunen et al: 2017
Overseas found in Europe (including Norway, Sweden, Finland, The Netherlands, France including Corsica, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Italy including Sicily, Poland, Austria, Hungary,and the former Yugoslavia), Asia (Turkey across to Siberia and Manchuria) and north Africa (Morocco).
Status (in Britain only)
Not listed in Shirt (1987). Falk (1991) lists it as Rare (pRDB3). Work for this atlas suggests that its status requires review.
Identification
Care with records pre 2015. The name Hedychrum niemelai has been applied to both H. neimelai and H. nobile in the past. Separation of specimens is difficult, but possible. However this should be done with reference to Paukkunen at al 2015, or later key.
Habitat
Open sandy localities: lowland heaths, coastal dunes, cliffs with sandy deposits, and other disturbed locations, for example sandpits, footpaths and railway cuttings. Adults fly in bright sunshine around nesting sites of the hosts and feed at the nectaries and extra-floral nectaries of flowering plants.
Flight period
Probably univoltine; mainly during July and August, but also during June and September and rarely during May.
Flowers visited
Clary (Salvia spp.) goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea), woundwort (Stachys spp.), and yarrow (Achillea millefolium).
Parasites
No information available.
Parasitic biology
The hosts of this species are Cerceris ruficornis, C. arenaria, C. rybyensis and C. quinquefasciata (Morgan 1984; Edwards 1997). All the host species nest in sandy places. On detecting a host's nest the female enters and lays an egg in a cell. On hatching the chrysidid larva acts as a parasitoid consuming either the mature larva or prepupa of the host.