Sphecodes ferruginatus Hagens, 1882

Bogusch, Petr & Straka, Jakub, 2012, Review and identification of the cuckoo bees of central Europe (Hymenoptera: Halictidae: Sphecodes), Zootaxa 3311, pp. 1-41 : 10

Sphecodes ferruginatus Hagens, 1882

Described as: Sphecodes ferruginatus Hagens, 1882: 221 .

Synonym: Sphecodes rufescens var. alpestris Frey-Gessner, 1903: 107 .

Distribution. Europe to 66°N, present in Scandinavia and Britain, Turkey, absent from North Africa ( Warncke 1992).

Biology. Species of midlands, usually bound to grasslands or sunny slopes, but not in warm areas. In central Europe widespread but rare and uncommon. Lasioglossum fulvicorne (Kirby) is the only known documented host (Stoeckhert, 1933). Similar species such as L. laticeps and L. pauxillum have been published as likely hosts of this species (Stoeckhert 1933, Westrich 1989). Surveys on localities with these species present did not support this as the females of S. ferruginatus were invading only nests of L. fulvicorne .