Arachnospila minutula is a typical black and red spider wasp. Despite its name it is a similar size to, or even larger than, many of its congeners.The male is readily recognised by the structure of the hind legs, while the female lacks a comb of spines on the fore-tarsus (subgenus Anoplochares Banks) and needs to be separated only from A. spissa.

A medium-sized red and black species. Arachnospila wesmaeli belongs to the subgenus Ammosphex, in which the females have a tarsal comb to assist digging the burrow. Females are difficult to identify and require critical examination, the males have a distinct subgenital plate. Identification keys are given in Day (1988).

A revised key to the now three British species of Miscophus has been published by Knowles and Else (2005). Male M. ater are not always readily separated from dark specimens of male M. concolor on gaster colour alone, but the closeness of the punctation on the frons seems to be a reliable, if subtle, character for which comparative material is useful.

A revised key to the now three British species of Miscophus has been published by Knowles and Else (2005). M. bicolor generally has a greater extent of orange-red coloration on the gaster than M. concolor, with additional differences in the wing venation and propodeal sculpturing. On average, M. bicolor is the largest of the three British species.

References

Bitsch, J., Dollfuss, H., Bouček, Z., Schmidt, K., Schmid-Egger, C., Gayubo, S.F., Antropov, A.V. & Barbier, Y. 2001. Hyménoptères Sphecidae D’Europe Occidentale Vol. 3… Read more

One of the smallest of a genus of small, predominately black, wasps. It seems to be genuinely scarce throughout its world range, but is very widespread. The female is very similar to that of Crossocerus wesmaeli, which can be abundant on light sands, but the male has a very distinctive peg on the underneath of the 7th antennal segment. For more comment on the separation of females see Edwards (1982).

A medium-sized Ectemnius with well-separated spots on the terga. Previously known as E. chrysostomus (Lepeletier & Brullé, 1835).

The more frequent of the two Ectemnius species with short mesonotal pubescence and a pronotum with spines (subgenus Ectemnius). It has been suggested that E. dives is a relatively recent colonist possibly introduced with timber, as the first British record was in 1926 (Nixon, 1935).

The larger and more frequent of the two British species of Ectemnius with reduced yellow spots on gastral terga 1 and 3 (subgenus Hypocrabro).

One of the more common large Ectemnius species easily identified in both sexes by the densely striate mesoscutum with transverse striae on the front half.

The distribution of this species is significantly different from that published by Richards (1980), due to the separation in Britain of two species, T. nitidus and T. unicolor from the one taxon previously recognised as T. unicolor.

There is considerable confusion regarding the correct use of this name. As interpreted here this is the scarcer species of the two, apparently restricted to IOW and Dorset.