A Note on the Rediscovery of the Sand Wasp <i>Bembecinus proximus</i> (Handlirsch) from an Urban Habitat

Abstract

The wasp species Bembecinus proximus was described by Handlirsch (1892) but the type locality of the specimen remains inconclusive and was supposed to have been collected from Barrackpore, West Bengal, India. The species is known to be distributed in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India, but the current status of the genus and the species in India remains uninvestigated since the last publication of the species by Krombein 1984. This species has been rediscovered from India after a span of more than three decades from an urban roof-top garden and its ecological role in the urban habitat has been briefly explored and explained. Ziziphus mauritiana has been first reported as its nectaring plant. The significance of these artificial green habitats for urban entomofaunal conservation has been highlighted.