Catalogue of Bembix rostrata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae) deposited in the State Museum of Natural History NASU, Lviv, Ukraine

The genus Bembix (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Bembicini) is a cosmopolitan genus of mud dauber wasps, represented by 331 species in the world fauna (Pulawski, 2025). The greatest diversity of species of the genus is found in Australia and Africa. There are 11 species registered in Ukraine (Siła-Nowicki, 1865; Wierzejski, 1868; Yaroshevskiy, 1881; Горобчишин, 1995; 2004; Горобчишин & Проценко, 2004). Bembix rostrata (Linnaeus, 1758) occurs throughout the Palaearctic and is the dominant species of the genus Bembix in Central Europe (Bühart & Menke, 1976). This species was first recorded in Ukraine by Siła-Nowicki on the outskirts of Lviv and Yaniv (Siła-Nowicki, 1864). Bembix rostrata (Linnaeus, 1758) are solitary mud dauber wasps that form burrow-like nests in sandy soils. Females form a nest independently by digging a burrow. However, they are often able to form a pseudocolony. Their nests are linear, 10-30 cm long, made at an angle, with a cell at the end of it where the female stores food for her offspring (Peeters, 2008). The female usually feeds her offspring with members of the order Diptera, which are paralysed and brought into the nest by her. Prey includes flies of the families Conopidae, Sarcophagidae (Peeters, 2008). The egg is laid on the first prey caught. They are characterised by "progressive" feeding of the offspring, i.e. the female continues to hunt until the larva is almost complete. After each visit to the nest, the female locks the entrance. At the same time, the female digs several single chamber nests, up to 5 (Peeters, 2008). Females can also dig an "empty" nest. This is a hole in which they do not intend to lay an egg, thus fooling kleptoparasites (Frank, 2022). Males do not participate in the care of their offspring. They appear 1-5 days earlier than females. They can gather in groups at female nesting sites to mate. Adults feed on the nectar of many covered seed plants, particularly the family Lamiaceae (Pytel-Huta, & Franchuk, 2024), Asteraceae, Rosaceae (Peeters, 2008). The flight period lasts from mid-June to late September, with a peak in July (Peeters, 2008). The collection of the State Museum of Natural History, National Academy of Sciences in Lviv contains 13 specimens of this species collected in the western part of Ukraine (Lviv, Ternopil and Rivne regions). A few samples (6) of this species were collected in 1916, 1917, 1921, 1922, 1923 and 1926. Eight specimens of this species were collected by J. Noskiewicz and J. Snieżek, 4 each. The collectors of the remaining specimens are unknown.