A study of the bionomy and description of the mature larva of Oxybelus trispinosus (Fabricius, 1787) (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)

Abstract

This paper provides comprehensive data on the life history of Oxybelus trispinosus (Fabricius, 1787). Female individuals of this species supply approximately 3–4 flies per cell as a food source for their larvae. The collected prey includes specimens of four Diptera families: Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Sarcophagidae, and Tachinidae. Nests are constructed in various soil types, featuring a primary burrow measuring 6–7 cm in length that terminates in a single cell. Both male and female specimens were observed on 15 plants of the Apiaceae family. Notably, these nests faced attacks from kleptoparasitic flies, specifically Metopia argyrocephala (Meigen, 1824) and Senotaina conica (Fallén, 1810) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). The mature larva of Oxybelus trispinosus exhibits similarities to the larva of Oxybelus variegatus Wesmael, 1852, with a distinguishing characteristic of two straight horizontal lines of four bristles in the frontal region between the antennae. The parietal region is characterised by multiple setae: five setae from the pleurostomal ridge to the anterior tentorial fossa, three more on the sides, and six above the antennae.