64
The Essex Naturalist
As trifasciatus Oliv.: Listed for the Colchester area by Harwood (1884) without
further detail. Billericay, Hale End & Colchester district (Nicholson 1928). As
trimarginatus Zett.: Billericay and Colchester district (Nicholson 1928). In
recent years we have recorded it at Weald Country Park, Thrift Wood,
Chigborough Lakes, Sturmer, Wormingford Mere and Linford Sand Pit.
Symmorphus connexus (Curtis) - RDB 3
= bifasciatus misident.
Recorded as nesting in the straws of thatch. Prey recorded includes larvae of
chrysomelid beetles and the gracillariid moth Caloptilia stigmatella but this data is
from overseas and little is apparently known about the species in Britain.
Listed for North Essex by Falk (1991) without details.
S. crassicornis (Panzer) - RDB 3
Recorded prey is the chrysomelid beetle Chrysolina populi.
Rare: Colchester (Nicholson 1926). Listed for North and South Essex by Falk
(1991) without details. The only other record for the county appears to be of a
single female at Rushey Mead N.R. on 27th June 1995.
S. gracilis (Brulle)
Probably nests in holes in wood. Recorded prey the larvae of the beetles
Chrysolina populi and Cionus hortulanus.
Colchester district, in woods and Hale End, in garden on Scrophularia nodosa
flowers (Nicholson 1928). We have no other Essex records at present.
S. mutinensis (Baldini)
Nests principally in cut stems of plants, including thatch. Recorded prey is
larvae of the chrysomelid beetle Phyllodecta vulgatissima and adults have been
noted frequently at figwort flowers in damp areas.
Listed for the Colchester area by Harwood (1884) without further detail. Not
common: Colchester district (Nicholson 1926). We only have recent records
from three sites: for North Essex at Rushey Mead N.R. in 1994 and 1995 and
from South Essex at the Backwarden reserve at Danbury in 1994 and Thorndon
Park North in 1986.
Unknown Eumenidae
The identity of the following two species is unclear to us:
Ancistrocerus pictus Curtis
Listed by Nicholson (1926) as common in gardens: Billericay, Hale End and
Colchester district. This synonym is absent from modern texts we have
consulted.
Odynerus pictus Curtis
Recorded as "not uncommon at raspberry flowers" for the Colchester area by
Harwood (1884) without further detail.