''Hedychrum rutilans'' is a species of

cuckoo wasp Commonly known as cuckoo wasps or emerald wasps, the hymenopteran family Chrysididae is a very large cosmopolitan group (over 3000 described species) of parasitoid or kleptoparasitic wasps, often highly sculptured, with brilliant metallic color ...

s (insects in the family Chrysididae). The species occurs primarily in

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and in

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.Fauna Europaea
/ref>Agnoli, G. L.; Rosa, P. (2011)
Hedychrum rutilans Dahlbom, 1854 - Database of the Italian Chrysididae on Chrysis.net
/ref> The head and thorax are metallic green with red spots, while the abdomen is red. The color is more green and partially golden in the male and more extensively golden-red in the female. The body is somewhat hairy. Chrysididae - Hedychrum rutilans

Biology

''Hedychrum rutilans'' is a

cleptoparasite Kleptoparasitism (originally spelt clepto-parasitism, meaning "parasitism by theft") is a form of feeding in which one animal deliberately takes food from another. The strategy is evolutionarily stable when stealing is less costly than direct fe ...

and

parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

of larvae of beewolves (''

Philanthus triangulum The European beewolf (''Philanthus triangulum''), also known as the bee-killer wasp or the bee-eating philanthus (from the now obsolete synonym ''Philanthus apivorus''), is a solitary wasp that lives in the Western Palearctic and Afrotropics. A ...

'' and ''

Philanthus coronatus ''Philanthus coronatus'' is a species of bee-hunting wasp (or "beewolf") of Europe and the Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant ...

''). The female cuckoo wasp lays its

eggs An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop. Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to: Biology * Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms Food * Eggs as food Places * Egg, Austria * Egg, Switzerland ...

on the paralyzed

honeybee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to mainland Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the c ...

workers serving as provisions for the beewolf larvae, placed by the female beewolf in its brood cells. The cuckoo wasp larvae feed on the honeybees and on the larvae of the beewolf. Adults grow up to long and can be encountered from late June to September, often feeding on flowers of ''

Mentha ''Mentha'', also known as mint (from Greek , Linear B ''mi-ta''), is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is estimated that 13 to 24 species exist, but the exact distinction between species is unclear. Hybridization oc ...

'' species, ''

Achillea millefolium ''Achillea millefolium'', commonly known as yarrow () or common yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Growing to tall, it is characterized by small whitish flowers, a tall stem of fernlike leaves, and a pungent odor. The plan ...

'' and ''

Euphorbia paralias ''Euphorbia paralias'', the Sea Spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to Europe, northern Africa and western Asia. The species is widely naturalised in Australia. It invades coastal areas, displacing local ...

'', but also on honeydew or various exudates. They prefer

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

y and warm

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

Subspecies

*''Hedychrum rutilans'' var. ''rutilans'' Dahlbom, 1854 *''Hedychrum rutilans'' var. ''subparvulum'' Linsenmaier, 196 *''Hedychrum rutilans'' var. ''viridiauratum'' Mocsáry, 1889 *''Hedychrum rutilans'' var. ''viridiaureum'' Tournier, 1877

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q293292 Chrysididae Hymenoptera of Europe Insects described in 1854 Taxa named by Anders Gustaf Dahlbom