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.
Widely distributed in England and Wales. Not recorded from Ireland. Present on the Channel Islands.
It occurs in central Europe, being sporadic in the north and south, and in Asia eastwards to Mongolia (Wolf 1972).
Not listed in Shirt (1987). Listed as Notable B (now known as Nationally Scarce Nb) by Falk (1991).
Day, 1988 is the standard work for identifying British Pompilidae. Wiśniowski, B., 2009 is also useful.
This wasp occurs in a variety of open, sparsely vegetated situations such as chalk downland, heathland and coastal sites.
June to August.
Apparently not noted in Britain. Gros (1983) found a female attacking a Pardosa (Lycosidae) beneath a stone in France.
Females of this subgenus are non-fossorial, lacking a fore-tarsal comb.The larvae are ectoparasitoids of spiders living in concealed situations, the prey being attacked and left in situ.
Adults have been reported visiting flowers of carrot and wild parsnip (Spooner, unpublished notes).
No data available.
2009