Boros István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 52. (Budapest 1960)

Móczár, L.: The loess wall of Tihany and the nesting of Odynerus spiricornis Spin. (Hymenoptera, Eumenidae)

Tetramorium caespitum L. and Myrmica ruginodis Nyl. roamed over the wall. The former ones carried away on many occasions the old and fallen nest builders, esjiecially those of Andrena scita Eversm. 2. Tychocoen species, which may occur also elsewhere, but since the substratum is very suitable for nesting or since they may find their food more easily on the loess wall, they turn up there regularly. A Philanthus triangulum L. specimen was digging its nest on the perpendicular part of the wall (Plate I, fig. 2) at 10 : 30 on 21 July. I frequently observed the males of Ph. coronatus F., Astata boops Schrk. disappearing several times in a hole. Two Sceliphron destillatorium Ulig. specimens were building their nest on 6 July. Another Sceliphron was flitting about on the wall on 23 July, but it made no nest. Trypoxylon figulus L. was constantly active in high individual numbers. They settled even witbin the nests of Odynerus spiricornis Spin., of undamaged turrets, but they usually slipped into the nest not by the main entrance of the turret but by any small leak at its base or on its sides. An Ammophila heydenii Dhlb. specimen dug the entrance of its nest at 14 : 40 on 21 July, then it carried out the mud, brought in a larva, closed its nest and disappeared. It brought in another green larva at 12 : 04 on 23 July, and then it transported minute pieces of earth into the burrow. It was unable to scope with a larger one, it could not haul it up on the steep wall. I put it beside its nest, but it did not perceive it and knocked it down. It carried the smaller ones flying into the entrance. Then it scratched some sand into the hole, and then brought some earth again. It was again around its nest at 11 a. m. on the following day. Some specimens of Prosopis communis Nyl., Colletés sj)., Halictus eurygnathus Bliithg., Megachile ericetorum Lep., M. centuncularis L., M. lagopoda L., were also active on the wall. The latter one settled into abandoned Odynerus or Anthophora nests, and then began to carry pollen into them. 3. The vital conditions of the loess wall, warmth, dryness, or the humidity of the soil are the most favourable for the eucoen species. Odynerus spiricornis Spin, nested in the highest numbers. I will deal with its habits in details below. Aside of this one, the species Odynerus parvulus Lep., Andrena scita Eversm., Tetralonia macroglossa Ulig., nested abundantly, while Tetralonia tricinta Er. was fewer. Of the nests of Anthophora species from the early spring, onlv the generally injured turrets were yet visible. 4. Parasites. Their life is bound to the loess wall-dwellers. They occur regularly, as the dependants of the species of the above groups. The most frequent of them were Chrysis cyanea L., C. viridula L., Mutilla barbára var. brutia Ptg., Myrmilla calva var. distincta Lep., while Chrysis scutellaris F., Hedychum rutilons Dhlb., Coelioxys aurolimbata Frst., Epeolus tristis Smith, Hoplocryptus fugitivus Grav. (det. B a j á r i) were smaller in numbers. Aside of them, there appeared various kinds of Bombylidae, Dexinae, Sarcophagidae (det. Mihályi), Trichodes apiarius, Anthrenus sp, Stilbum cyanurum Forst. G i r a u d (1863), Chrétien (1896), André (1886) and Friese (1926) have shortly dealt with the nest buildings of 0. spiricornis. Their notes, the same as my preceding paper (L. Móczár 1939), confined themselves to the description and contents of the nests, touching at most only generally the ethologv of the wasp itself. In the followings, I put forth my recent observations, gained during the time at my disposal, on the means of its nesting.