''Priocnemis susterai'' is a large species of pepsine

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 ...

and is, with '' Priocnemis perturbator'' and '' Priocnemis coriacea'', one of three similar species of the

subgenus In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...

'' Umbripennis'' found in

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 ...

. All three of these species are characterised by having plentiful erect hair on the face and propodum.

Distribution

''P. susterai'' is widespread in central and southern Europe but is difficult to distinguish from the more common ''P. perturbator''. In Great Britain, it is widely distributed in southern and central England as far north as north-east

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

and westwards to

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

Habitat

This species can be found in open woodland with dry soils, and avoids waterlogged areas.

Biology

In Great Britain the flight period is April to August, and the species overwinters as an adult. Due to confusion with ''P. perturbator,'' prey records of the two species (formerly considered a single species ''P. fuscus'') are not reliable. However, it is probable that ''P. susterai'' preys on 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 ...

. Although little is known about the nesting biology of ''P. susterai'', like other ''Priocnemis'' wasps it probably excavates cells in pre-existing cavities. Like ''P. coriacea,'' the only flower it has been recorded nectaring at is wood spurge but it probably nectars at similar flowers with open corollas.

References

Insects described in 1927 Hymenoptera of Europe Pepsinae {{apocrita-stub