New and unusual host records for North American and South American spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)
Author
Kurczewski, Frank E.
Author
West, Rick C.
Author
Waichert, Cecilia
Author
Kissane, Kelly C.
Author
Ubick, Darrell
Author
Pitts, James P.
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-12-07
4891
1
1
112
journal article
9376
10.11646/zootaxa.4891.1.1
8cd88652-1627-4fbe-891d-062b3e02e511
1175-5326
4309249
6B0E1135-8C4E-4341-9793-AB970FBCD10B
Notocyphus dorsalis arizonicus
Townes
AZ: Pima County, Tucson;
January 2020
(exact capture date unrecorded); M. Dame. Host:
Aphonopelma chalcodes
, juvenile, approximately
20 mm
in body length, with a single larva attached to the anterior dorsum of the paralyzed tarantula’s abdomen. The larva was allowed to continuously feed on the tarantula. Pupation occurred on
January 30, 2020
. The wasp (sex unknown) emerged 90 days post-pupation. A series of photographs showed the larva on the tarantula, the pupal cocoon and the emerged wasp (Dame 2020; M. Dame, Tucson AZ, 2020 pers. comm.).
AZ: Pima County, Tucson,
Sonora
Desert Museum;
10 November 2015
; H. G. Byrne. Host:
Aphonopelma chalcodes
, juvenile,
22 mm
(reared wasp,
21 mm
). A conscious juvenile
A. chalcodes
was found with the wasp’s egg attached to the anterior dorsum of its abdomen. Wasp larval growth and development on the host spider was followed through a series of photographs for 3 weeks as the larva fed continuously. Pupation occurred after 4 weeks. The exoskeletal remains of the spider, including urticating hairs, were incorporated into the pupal cocoon. An adult female wasp emerged 71 days post-pupation (
Byrne 2015
; H. G. Byrne,
Sonora
Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ, 2017 pers. comm.).