Welcome to Leucospidae of Switzerland

This page is devoted to the taxonomy and distribution of the Swiss species of Leucospidae. Four of the six European species of Leucospis are recorded for Switzerland: L. biguetina Jurine, L. dorsigera Fabricius, L. gigas Fabricius, and L. intermedia Illiger. Except for L. dorsigera the main distribution lies in the Southern parts of the country. The altitudinal gradient ranges from the colline to the subalpine belt. Adults appear from May to September. L. biguetina and L. gigas are considered vulnerable with regard to the Swiss fauna. Almost exclusively females of L. biguetina and L. gigas are known from the study area, hence these species are likely to reproduce by thelytoky. A key, diagnoses, morphometric and distributional data are also given for the other two European species, L. bifasciata Klug and L. brevicauda Fabricius. The hosts of all species are critically reviewed and new hosts are recorded for L. dorsigera and L. gigas.