Pepsis mexicana Lucas (Mexican tarantula hawk), 1895

Kurczewski, Frank E., West, Rick C., Waichert, Cecilia, Kissane, Kelly C., Ubick, Darrell & Pitts, James P., 2020, New and unusual host records for North American and South American spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), Zootaxa 4891 (1), pp. 1-112 : 10-11

Pepsis mexicana Lucas (Mexican tarantula hawk)

AZ: Pima County, Tucson; 16 January 2019; M. Martinez (pachucos_art). Host: Aphonopelma cf chalcodes , adult male. The wasp straddled a paralyzed male tarantula as an adult female Aphonopelma cf chalcodes exited her burrow, about 30 cm away. The female tarantula moved quickly, grasped the male tarantula from the wasp, turned and entered her burrow with the immobilized male tarantula. The wasp quickly followed the pair down the burrow. The wasp emerged from the burrow headfirst a minute later, walked to the spot where the paralyzed male tarantula had laid on the ground. She placed her mouthparts on the ground as if to drink fluids released by the immobilized tarantula. The wasp remained in the area surrounding the burrow for about 10 minutes before flying away. Minutes later, the female tarantula covered the burrow entrance with silk, from inside, indicating the wasp did not paralyze or oviposit on her ( Martinez 2019; M. Martinez, Tucson, AZ, 2019 pers. comm.).

AZ: Pima County, Tucson, Sabino Canyon, Esperero Trail; 18 September 2009; Renee. Host: Aphonopelma cf catalina Hamilton, Hendrixson and Bond, adult or subadult female. Using her antennae, the wasp examined the paralyzed tarantula as it laid ventral side upward with its legs spread laterally ( Renee 2009).

AZ: Pima County, Tucson, Sabino Canyon, Overlook Picnic Area; 24 June 2018; C. Benesh. Host: Aphonopelma cf chalcodes , subadult female. The wasp stood over the paralyzed tarantula, as it laid on the ground, dorsal side upward, and examined it with her antennae ( Benesh 2018).

AZ: Pinal County, Oracle, Coronado National Forest; 20 July 2018; T. Palmer (entomo-logic). Host: Aphonopelma cf chalcodes , adult female. The wasp pulled the paralyzed tarantula backwards on the ground, dorsal side upward, grasping its right foreleg with her mandibles ( Palmer 2018).

BELIZE: Cayo District, 14 km SE of San Ignacio, Green Hills Butterfly Ranch ; 31 March 2018; J. Meerman. Host: Tliltocatl vagans (Ausserer) (Mexican redrump tarantula), adult female. The wasp dragged the paralyzed tarantula backwards up the side of small stacked containers, right side upward, grasping its 3 rd right trochanter with her mandibles (J. Meerman, Green Hills, Belize, 2018 pers. comm.).

BELIZE: Orange Walk District, Lamanai Archaeological Reserve; April 2012; axarus. Host: Tliltocatl vagans , adult female. The wasp maneuvered underneath the tarantula on the ground, turned it over and, while straddling it, stung and paralyzed it. During the struggle, the wasp detached the tarantula’s pedipalp from the tarantula ( Axarus 2012) .

COSTA RICA: mountain top; 14 January 2007; Jordan. Host: Aphonopelma cf crinirufum (Valerio) (Costa Rican bluefront tarantula) ( Theraphosidae ). The wasp walked backwards on the ground, holding the paralyzed tarantula dorsal side upward while grasping the base of its left foreleg with her mandibles ( Jordan 2007a).

COSTA RICA: Alajuela Province, Delicias, dirt road; 2011; G. McCabe. Host:? Sericopelma sp. ( Theraphosidae ), adult or subadult female. The wasp stood atop the larger paralyzed tarantula as it laid dorsal side upward on the ground with its legs spread laterally. She examined the area above its chelicerae with her antennae and mouthparts ( McCabe 2011).

COSTA RICA: Guanacaste Province, Puerto Humo, Palo Verde National Park ; 3 January 2007; A. Arp. Host: Aphonopelma cf crinirufum, adult female. The wasp stood over and examined the paralyzed tarantula with her antennae and mouthparts as it laid ventral side upward on the ground ( Arp 2007) .

COSTA RICA: Guanacaste Province, Rincon de la Vieja National Park ; 3 March 2019; H. Cuper. Host: Aphonopelma cf crinirufum, adult or subadult female. One photograph showed the wasp standing over the paralyzed tarantula as it laid on the ground, ventral side upward, drinking regurgitated fluid from the tarantula’s mouth. Two photographs show the wasp dragging the paralyzed tarantula on the ground, dorsal side upward, grasping the base of the right pedipalp with her mandibles ( Cuper 2019) .

MEXICO: Hildalgo State, Atlapexco; 7 April 2020, M. O. Cabrera. Host: Tliltocatl epicureanus (Chamberlin) (Yucatan rustrump tarantula) ( Theraphosidae ), adult or subadult female. A series of photographs shows the wasp standing near the paralyzed tarantulas as it laid on the ground, dorsal side upward ( Cabrera 2020; E. García-Padilla, Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico, 2020 pers. comm.).

MEXICO: Mexico State, Mexico City, Iztapalapa ; 20 November 2018; I. Caim (ignathiuscaim). Host: Unidentified species ( Ctenidae ), adult or subadult female. The wasp dragged the paralyzed wandering spider over and through short grasses on the ground, dorsal side upward, grasping its sternal region with her mandibles ( Caim 2018) .

MEXICO: Quintana Roo State, 20 km N of Mahahual, Mayan Beach Garden Inn; posted 25 September 2011; J. Conrad. Host:? Acentropelma sp. [ Not Tliltocatl cf vagans (Ausserer) ], juvenile. The wasp dragged the much heavier paralyzed tarantula across a white sand road, grasping the base of its right foreleg with her mandibles. She released the spider in the middle of the road, dorsal side upward, and walked around the area ( Conrad 2011, J. Mendoza and D. Candia, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico, 2018 pers. comm.).

MEXICO: Quintana Roo, Playa del Carmen, Selva Maya; 17 June 2019; Sergio F. A. (arbura.mx). Host: Tliltocatl cf epicureanus , subadult male or female. The wasp circled and examined the paralyzed tarantula as it laid on the ground, dorsal side upward, before grasping the base of its right foreleg and dragging it backwards on the ground ( Sergio 2019).

MEXICO: Sinaloa State, Municipality of Mazatlán, Selva Baja Caducifolia en Paco’s Reserva de Flora y Fauna Silvestre ; 19 November 2016, 0823 ( HST); F. M. Farriols Estrada. Host: Aphonopelma sp. (undescribed species), adult female. The wasp examined the paralyzed tarantula with her antennae and mouthparts as it laid dorsal side upward on the ground ( Farriols Estrada 2016) .

MEXICO: Sinaloa State, Municipality of Mazatlán; 27 December 2016, 1800 ( HST); F. F. Sarabia. Host: Brachypelma emilia (White) (Mexican redleg tarantula) ( Theraphosidae ), immature. The wasp dragged the paralyzed tarantula backwards on the ground, dorsal side upward, grasping the base of its right foreleg with her mandibles ( Sarabia 2016).

NICARAGUA: Paso del Istmo Biological Corridor, Municipal de San Juan del Sur; 28 February 2017, 1922 ( CST); J. Martinez. Host:? Citharacanthus sp. ( Theraphosidae ), adult male. The wasp grasped the paralyzed tarantula by the base of its right pedipalp and, maintaining the spider dorsal side upward, walked backwards on the ground (Martinez 2017; S. Longhorn, Oxford, United Kingdom, 2018 pers. comm.).