Episyron gallicum

Episyron gallicum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
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[]

^ "Fauna Europaea - Episyron gallicum (Tournier, 1889)". Archived from the original on 9 July 2012.
^ 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,

External links[]

Images representing Episyron gallicum at Barcodes of Life

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[1] "Fauna Europaea - Episyron gallicum (Tournier, 1889)". Archived from the original on 9 July 2012.

[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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