''Monosapyga clavicornis'' is a

hymenopteran Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typi ...

from the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Sapygidae The Sapygidae are a family of solitary kleptoparasitic aculeate wasps. They are generally black wasps, similar in appearance to some Tiphiidae or Thynnidae, with white or yellow markings developed to various degrees. The female oviposits her eg ...

. The species is common and not endangered.

Description

The animals reach a body length of 8–12 millimetres. Their body is black and has small yellow spots on the head,

thorax The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...

and legs. On each of the second to fourth abdominal segments there is a pair of yellow patches, which usually merge to form bandages. On the last

tergite A ''tergum'' (Latin for "the back"; : ''terga'', associated adjective tergal) is the Anatomical terms of location#Dorsal and ventral, dorsal ('upper') portion of an arthropod segment other than the head. The Anatomical terms of location#Anterior ...

there is another yellow spot in the middle, in the males it is whitish coloured. The tips of the antennae are yellow-brown.

Occurrence

The species is widespread in

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

and is common in places. It lives near the nesting places of its hosts, especially on old wooden posts. The flight period is from March/April to July.

Biology

The wasp parasitizes

bees Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...

of the genera '' Heriades'', ''

Osmia Mason bee is a name now commonly used for species of bees in the genus ''Osmia'', of the family Megachilidae. Mason bees are named for their habit of using mud or other "masonry" products in constructing their nests, which are made in naturally o ...

'' and ''

Anthophora The bee genus ''Anthophora'' is one of the largest in the family Apidae, with over 450 species worldwide in 14 different subgenera. They are most abundant and diverse in the Holarctic and Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and sec ...

''. The females are often found near the nest openings of bees in dead wood or hollow stalks. An egg is laid anywhere in an unsealed brood cell of bees, filled with pollen and nectar. The wasp larva hatching from it first sucks out the bee egg and then feeds on the supplies. In some years the wasp populations are so large that they can significantly decimate the bees.

Sources

* Heiko Bellmann: ''Bienen, Wespen, Ameisen. Hautflügler Mitteleuropas''. Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co KG, Stuttgart 1995, . {{Taxonbar, from=Q1500658 Sapygidae Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Parasites of bees Wasps described in 1758