Association of the scuttle fly Megaselia leucozona Schmitz (Diptera: Phoridae) with sweat bees (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), with a description of the male fly

Megaselia leucozona Schmitz (Diptera, Phoridae) is reported from nests of Lasioglossum malachurum Kirby and Halictus scabiosae (Rossi) in Central Italy. The flies patrolled two nesting sites of the hosts and sometimes mated close to their nest entrances before entering. Observations agree with the general behaviour reported for other Megaselia species associated with fossorial bees and wasps. The hitherto unknownmale of M. leucozona is described, and the original description of a female is augmented and modified. This is the first report of a scuttle fly associated with nests of Halictidae in the Palaearctic Region

A note on facultative kleptoparasitism in Prionyx kirbii (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) as a consequence of multi-specific shared nesting site, with description of its prepupa

Observations of a female of Prionyx kirbii at an aggregation of Stizus continuus revealed an alternative nesting behaviour of the first wasp due to the presence of the second one. The overlap of some resources (prey, kind of soil) allowed P. kirbii to act as a kleptoparasite of S. continuus. The observed female often re-used as nests pre-existing S. continuus emergence holes, but no S. continuus nests. The prey were obtained sometimes by stealing the grasshoppers from S. continuus nests and/or by attacking the females while carrying the prey. From a review of interspecific kleptoparasitism among sphecoid wasps it appears that family Sphecidae includes the highest number of facultative parasitism cases and this finding is discussed. In addition, the description of the prepupa of P. kirbii is given and is shown to be in agreement with the description of the mature larvae of the other species of the genus

A note on facultative kleptoparasitism in <i>Prionyx kirbii</i> (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) as a consequence of multi-specific shared nesting site, with description of its prepupa

Observations of a female of Prionyx kirbii at an aggregation of Stizus continuus revealed an alternative nesting behaviour of the first wasp due to the presence of the second one. The overlap of some resources (prey, kind of soil) allowed P. kirbii to act as a kleptoparasite of S. continuus. The observed female often re-used as nests pre-existing S. continuus emergence holes, but no S. continuus nests. The prey were obtained sometimes by stealing the grasshoppers from S. continuus nests and/or by attacking the females while carrying the prey. From a review of interspecific kleptoparasitism among sphecoid wasps it appears that family Sphecidae includes the highest number of facultative parasitism cases and this finding is discussed. In addition, the description of the prepupa of P. kirbii is given and is shown to be in agreement with the description of the mature larvae of the other species of the genus

Some behavioural observations on Megaselia oxybelorum Schmitz (Diptera: Phoridae), a new kleptoparasite of Cerceris arenaria (L.) (Hymenoptera: Sphecoidea: Philanthidae)

Volume: 14Start Page: 93End Page: 9