Ancistrocerus trifasciatus (Müller, 1776)
Synonyms
Ancistrocerus trimarginatus (Zetterstedt, 1838)
Description and notes
Identification keys and general biology are given in Nielsen (1932), Spradbery (1973), Felton (unpublished), Richards (1980) and Yeo & Corbet (1995).
Distribution
Throughout England and Wales including the Isle of Man. Also recorded from Ireland and the Channel Islands.
Overseas, found in many parts of mainland Europe (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Greece and Romania) and across Asia to Mongolia, Sakhalin, Kamchatka and Japan.
Status (in Britain only)
This species is not regarded as being scarce or threatened.
Habitat
Found in a wide variety of habitats similar to A. parietum (Linnaeus). Often associated with marshy places.
Flight period
Probably univoltine; most likely to be seen June to August, sometimes during May and September, and rarely in April.
Prey collected
Small Lepidoptera larvae and sometimes chrysomelid larvae (Coleoptera).
Nesting biology
A tube-dweller similar to A. parietum (Linnaeus) and A. gazella (Panzer). Also recorded nesting in disused galls of Andricus kollari (Hartig) (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae). Lomholdt (1975-76) reports nesting in hollow plant stems, shared with Ectemnius rubicola (Dufour & Perris).
Flowers visited
Sea-holly, bramble, hogweed and thistles.
Parasites
Chrysis angustula Schenck, C. impressa Schenck and C. mediata Linsenmaier (Morgan, 1984).
Year profile last updated
1998