Anoplius sp. ?

[Rambling Rob]

Hello,

This is another of the all-black wasp prowling the cliff faces at Yaverland, IoW hunting spiders, from yesterday afternoon. Massively cropped again but it does show long hind legs and a spur on the hind tibia.

Earlier I saw another running along carrying a spider in front of it, climb a vertical cliff face, then disappear - drat! - without a photo. Such agile and erratic creatures. Third time lucky I hope - if there is a third time.

Is it likely to be an Anoplius sp. and possibly Anoplius nigerrimus ?



Thanks for looking,
Rob

[Jason Green]

Morning Rob,

It might be, though as a note of caution I personally wouldn't name an insect that is, for all I can see plain black and fairly non-descript, to species-level. Do you have one showing it's antennae, or subsequent angles? I may go for Anoplius sp., but you probably know more of these wasps than I do - I've only ever seen one, and not hunting at that!

Interesting photos as usual. Thanks!

Take care,

Jason

[Geoff F]

There are a few pompilid wasps in the BWARS Gallery Anoplius nigerrimus but this is just a few of the full range; so as Jason said, a correct identification is impossible from a photo.

But that doesn't mean a few well informed guesses aren't acceptable and you will probably be able to narrow it down to a few possibilities. And learn a bit more about other members of this family as well.

[Rambling Rob]

Thanks Jason, Geoff,

I had sneaked a look at the BWARS photos.

It was the plain black of this wasp that made me think A. nigerrimus, the other 5 species shown there having, in order: red legs; red bands on the abdomen; red legs + white spots on the abdomen; grey legs; a half-red abdomen. On that basis, and in that company, a plain black wasp seemed to my untrained eye rather more distinct than nondescript.

Besids seeing another running along with a spider in its mandibles I also wondered if this rear view might help pin it down as a spider-hunter because the long hind legs and long spur on the tibia are visible - something you told me about, Geoff. A little bit of knowledge in my hands is a dangerous thing!

Thanks again guys,
Rob

[Geoff F]

I have never been able to find much information about the Pompilidae family. There are a few images of some of the 40 UK species scattered around on a couple of sites and a few more which are of doubtful identification.

They get one page in Collins Complete Guide to British Insects but A. nigerrimus isn't included. Apparently there are more details and an ID key in a 1988 publication by M. C. Day Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects but I don't know if it is still available. Maybe secondhand.

I don't know if these publications are any good; perhaps somebody else knows more about them. I have Solitary Wasps by Yeo & Corbet but they don't list Pompilidae.

And I still have one on my 'Yet to be identified' list.



This one has a partially red abdomen, which is hidden under the wings, and in this photo it is blocking up a burrow. It kept dragging small pieces of dead vegetation and stuffing them into the burrow then finished off with some lumps of earth and scattered loose soil.

When I have caught up with things, I will spend a bit more time on the unidentified files. Need a few days of heavy rain; which would also be good for my parched garden.

[ChrisR]

Originally Posted by Geoff F

They get one page in Collins Complete Guide to British Insects but A. nigerrimus isn't included. Apparently there are more details and an ID key in a 1988 publication by M. C. Day Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects but I don't know if it is still available. Maybe secondhand.

I don't know if these publications are any good; perhaps somebody else knows more about them. I have Solitary Wasps by Yeo & Corbet but they don't list Pompilidae.

Hi Geoff

I think the only book to cover the British pompilids comprehensively is "M. C. Day Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects" - I am fairly sure it is still in print and available from the publications department of the Royal Entomological Society. Be aware though that it isn't a picture guidebook and this reflects the seriousness of embarking on any study of pompilids - they are keyed-out on minute details (wing venation, tiny leg bristles, hairs on propodeum etc) that are seldom picked up on photos I have never found them a difficult group to identify but I only work with specimens, I have a good microscope and I have Day's key - so I have all I need.

Yeo & Corbet is another excellent book (one of my favourites) - but you are right - it doesn't cover the family Pompilidae.

Back to the first photo, I caught an Anoplius niggerimus just the other day on a rotting tree trunk on a local nature reserve, so I know they are about now. They are jet black, like yours, but there are other species that are this colour so we can't be sure. If we could see different angles then it might be possible to see a few details but I think it's a lost cause - pompilids are very hard to photograph at the best of times because they move so fast.

Your other photo is nice too but there are just too many red & black species to make much of a guess ... possibly Priocnemis ... but maybe not

Anyway, if you want to study pompilids then I would say they are an excellent group - interesting, diverse, relatively under-studied with an excellent key ... but it really does need you to take specimens to be sure of your IDs.

Cheers
Chris R.

[lync]

There are useful line drawings in Wolf's book on Pompilidae in the Insecta Helvetica series. Text in German though. Pemberley Books supply it (along with hundreds of other titles that ento-WABBERS at least should be aware of).

[Geoff F]

Your other photo is nice too but there are just too many red & black species to make much of a guess ... possibly Priocnemis ... but maybe not

That is why I keep putting it to one side! Think I can rule out Anoplius sp. so, yes, I was considering a Priocnemis sp as being possible. Thanks for the partial confirmation. I will check this out with some of my photos which show part of the red abdomen.

The book advice is also very useful. I have purchased from Pemberley previously but they list so much it does take a bit of sorting through.

But to return to the original thread. Are we all agreed that A. nigerrimus is the most likely (but not guaranteed) identification for the pompilid in Rob's photos.

[Rambling Rob]

Here are a few shots of another of the same (I think) species of Pompilid wasp observed this morning. Still looks pretty well all black I think.

Like yours, Geoff, it was busy at the burrow, only this one's nest was in an area of fossilised sandstone seabed, standing vertically in an eroded cliff face, and the wasp was repeatedly ferrying in tiny pieces of rock - some of them actually quite large, dragging them backwards mostly, occasionally falling off the cliff face altogether. They don't fly around much, do they, but they are absolutely restless on the ground - tireless workers.


Pulling along a small piece of rock...



Appearing on the threshold of the nest hole...


Setting out again...


Disappearing over the horizon...


Rob