Passaloecus monilicornis Dahlbom,1842
Description and notes
A species closely related to Passaloecus insignis, from which it is separable only with difficulty.
Distribution
Sparsely distributed from south Wales to Scotland, and in Ireland.
A northern species in Europe, but not recorded from the Alps or Pyrenees. It is distributed eastwards through Asia to Mongolia, China, Korea, Kamchatka and Japan (Lomholdt 1975-76).
Status (in Britain only)
This species is not regarded as being scarce or threatened.
Habitat
Found in the vicinity of dead wood.
Flight period
June to July (based on a few specimens in collections).
Prey collected
The prey is Aphididae (Homoptera).
Nesting biology
The females nest in abandoned beetle burrows in dead wood, which are cleaned of wood dust and frass. Lomholdt (1975-76) stated the species is able to gnaw its own burrow in not too hard wood, and abandoned beetle burrows are often elaborated in the same way. The burrows are often branched and the cells are placed sequentially in rows. Cells may number over 20 in a nest.
Flowers visited
No information is available on flower visits but honeydew may be visited.
Parasites
No information available.
Year profile last updated
2002