Abstract
Nesting of a rare eumenine wasp, Paragymnomerus signaticollis tauricus, was observed in the Crimea. Females of this species inhabit untilled steppes and nest in clay loam soil. The nests are vertical burrows 55–120 mm deep and 7–9 mm wide, surmounted by more or less curved turrets that open sideways. The nests contain 1–4 cells and have either linear or branched structure. The cells are of the same width as the other parts of nest burrow and are 13–23 mm long. The species is univoltine; prepupae hibernate in the cocoon for one or two years. Females hunt for sawfly larvae of the genus Megalodontes; 3–5 larvae are stored per nest cell. Adult females feed on these same larvae. Males search for females at their hunting and nesting sites and feed on flowers of Teucrium spp. A cuckoo wasp tentatively identified as Chrysis valesiana is a cleptoparasite on P. signaticollis tauricus. Nesting activity of the female wasps is described. The differences between the nesting biology of P. signaticollis tauricus and P. spiricornis are discussed. The distribution of P. signaticollis tauricus in East Europe is confirmed.
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