ON THE FORAGING BEHAVIOR OF TWO POLLEN WASP SPECIES OF THE GENUS CELONITES LATREILLE, 1802 (HYMENOPTERA: VESPIDAE: MASARINAE) FROM KAZAKHSTAN

Celonites tristiculus Kostylev, 1935 and C. montanus Mocsáry, 1906 demonstrate two different foraging strategies. The first species is probably polylectic (or at most eclectically oligolectic). Females of C. tristiculus collect pollen (but not nectar) from flowers of Allium caricifolium Kar. & Kir. (Amaryllidaceae), consuming it directly from the anthers with the mouthparts and the foretarsi. They collect nectar from flowers of Ziziphora tenuior L. (Lamiaceae), which are hardly used for pollen uptake. Females of C. montanus collect pollen and nectar from nototribic flowers of the genera Lagochilus Bunge ex Benth. and Moluccella L. (Lamiaceae). They take up pollen with pollen-collecting setae on the frontal surface of the head, by rubbing it over the anthers; rubbing movements are alternated with pollen brushing from the head with the foretarsi, from which the pollen is finally consumed with the mouthparts. Males visit flowers of other plants (such as Convolvulus fruticosus Pall., Convolvulaceae) for nectar uptake only. The evolution of pollen uptake with pollen-collecting setae in the pollen wasps is discussed.