Episyron gallicum

Episyron gallicum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Suborder:	Apocrita
Family:	Pompilidae
Genus:	Episyron
Species:	E. gallicum
Binomial name
	Episyron gallicum; Tournier, 1889
Synonyms
	Episyron intermedius Haupt, 1930; Episyron tertius Bluthgen, 1944; Pompilus gallicum Tournier, 1889;

Episyron gallicum is a spider-eating wasp which, as its name suggests has a distribution centred on France.

Habits

It hunts terrestrial spiders which hunt their prey such as Wolf spiders as opposed to web weaving spiders. The spider is paralysed with a sting and then the helpless spider is sealed in a tunnel and the wasp lays an egg on it. The grub dines on the living spider when it hatches.^[2]

Habitat

Open terrain with loose sandy soil.^[3]

Distribution

Southern Europe but has recently expanded its range into Poland, Germany and the United Kingdom.^[3]

References

^ http://ecat-dev.gbif.org/usage/103055530
^ Roger Highfield, Science Editor (11 May 2006). "French wasp flies in to eat our spiders". Telegraph.co.uk. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
^ ^a ^b http://www.bedslife.org.uk/documents/newsletters/BioNews%20Spring%2006.pdf,

This Apocrita-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] ttp://ecat-dev.gbif.org/usage/103055530

[2] Roger Highfield, Science Editor (11 May 2006). "French wasp flies in to eat our spiders". Telegraph.co.uk. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)

[bedslife-3] ttp://www.bedslife.org.uk/documents/newsletters/BioNews%20Spring%2006.pdf,

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