Long-necked cockroach hunter rediscovered!

During a training event sponsored by the Nature Conservation Academy and the Bioversity Fund, the long-necked cockroach hunter ( Ampulex fasciata) was rediscovered in Styria after 50 years. Until now, the species had only been known to occur in the state from Diepersdorf an der Mur and Mureck. This very primitive digger wasp, measuring 5.5 to 8.5 mm in length , preys exclusively on forest cockroaches and is often found near thick logs of dead wood—as was the case in the Tierwelt Herberstein, where the insect was discovered on a thick log of dead chestnut wood. The Styrian Nature Conservation Academy, in collaboration with the Universalmuseum Joanneum and the Tierwelt Herberstein , organizes several events each year focused on nature. The long-necked robber wasp (Ampulex fasciata) is a rarely encountered digger wasp. Old, gnarled, and partially dead oak trees—as well as chestnut trees—provide a unique habitat for many rare and endangered species.