Bembix zinni Gess 1986

The female B. zinni is easily identified by very well developed yellow U-shaped mark on the black mesonotum and broad transverse bands on the abdominal tergites 1-4 (that of tergite 1 containing a pair of oval black spots sometimes fused together and then either narrowly or broadly connected to basal black band).
Length: 11-14 mm.

This species is illustrated in:
Gess F, Gess S 2014. Geographical distributions of Bembix (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae, Bembicinae) in southern Africa, with notes on biology. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 36: 53–130, doi: 10.3897/JHR.36.6491
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Bembix-spp-a-triangulifera-female-male-b-ulula-female-male-c-venusta-female_fig10_268818545

Original description with figures in:
Gess FW (1986) Three new species of southern African Bembix, a new synonymy, and biological notes on other species of the genus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Nyssoninae). Annals of the Cape Provincal Museums (natural History) 16
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/52273847#page/178/mode/1up

Distribution: From Palm Wag in Namibia to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park in South Africa and known from the type locality Merweville in the Western Cape.

Floral associations: Recorded from Apiaceae (Deverra denudata); Molluginaceae (Limeum aethiopicum, Limeum argute-carinatum); (Aizoaceae (Sesuvium sesuvioides); Asteraceae (Pentzia incana); Boraginaceae (Heliotropium tubulosum); Capparaceae (Cleome sp.); Fabaceae (Indigofera sp.); Zygophyllaceae (Tribulus cristatus)

Biology: Bembix females excavate solitary burrows in friable soil. Nests are provisioned with flies (Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Syrphidae, Sarcophagidae, Tachinidae among various other families).

iNat observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/41752860

Publicado el 21 de enero de 2024 por traianbertau