''Priocnemis perturbator'' is a relatively large species of

spider wasp Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary (with the exception of some group-ne ...

which is quite common in Europe. It was previously considered to be the same species as the closely related '' P. susterai'' which were lumped as ''P. fuscus'' and this means that some early observations of behaviour are not applicable to either species. Even now the two species need close observation under a microscope or hand lens to distinguish them from each other.

Biology

Little is known about the nests of ''P. perturbator'' but other ''Priocnemis'' species generally use preexisting cavities in which they may excavate several cells. ''P. perturbator'' is

univoltine Voltinism is a term used in biology to indicate the number of broods or generations of an organism in a year. The term is most often applied to insects, and is particularly in use in sericulture, where silkworm varieties vary in their voltinism. ...

and the flight period is from May to September. As stated in the introduction, many of the observations of ''P. perturbator'' collecting prey refer to the invalid taxon ''P. fuscus,'' but this species is thought to take larger spiders of the families

Lycosidae Wolf spiders are members of the Family (biology), family Lycosidae (), named for their robust and agile hunting skills and excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude, hunt alone, and usually do not spin spider web, webs. Some are opportunis ...

and

Gnaphosidae Ground spiders comprise Gnaphosidae, the seventh largest spider family with over 2,000 described species in over 100 genera distributed worldwide. There are 105 species known to central Europe, and common genera include '' Gnaphosa'', '' Drassode ...

. Females have been seen on the ground, apparently searching for prey. The spider '' Trochosa terricola'' is a known prey item. This species is one of a handful of relatively large spider wasps, including ''

Priocnemis susterai ''Priocnemis susterai'' is a large species of pepsine spider wasp and is, with '' Priocnemis perturbator'' and '' Priocnemis coriacea'', one of three similar species of the subgenus '' Umbripennis'' found in Great Britain. All three of these spec ...

'' and '' Anoplius viaticus'' which overwinter as adults in Britain, emerging in the following spring. ''Priocnemis perturbator,'' which is reasonably common and has long antennae, can often be seen nectaring on wood spurge,

dandelion ''Taraxacum'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus has a near-cosmopolitan distribu ...

blackthorn ''Prunus spinosa'', called blackthorn or sloe, is an Old World species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It is locally naturalized in parts of the New World. The fruits are used to make sloe gin in Britain and patxaran in Basq ...

, hawthorn and

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

Habitat

This species can be found in open woodland, but and various other habitats, so long as they are not waterlogged.

Distribution

''P. perturbator'' is widespread, from

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

into central and northern Europe and Asia eastwards to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

References

Hymenoptera of Europe Pepsinae Insects described in 1780 {{apocrita-stub