Anoplius (Anoplius)? imbellis Banks, 1944

Kurczewski, Frank E., West, Rick C. & Waichert, Cecilia, 2024, New host records for Nearctic and Neotropical spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), Insecta Mundi 2024 (34), pp. 1-32 : 24

Anoplius (Anoplius)? imbellis Banks

OREGON: Lincoln County, Seal Rock, with a creek at the edge of woodland; 15 July 2022; R. L. Westcott. Host: Calymmaria suprema Chamberlin and Ivie ( Cybaeidae ) [det. J. Vlach, S. C. Crews], adult or penultimate male. The wasp grasped the immobilized water spider, dorsal side upward, by its swollen right pedipalp with her mandibles and dragged it backwards across a porch (Westcott 2022; R. Westcott, pers. comm.).

The family Cybaeidae is reported for the first time as a pompilid host spider. Species of Calymmaria are common in cool, damp forests of the West Coast, and their webs can be found along streams ( Heiss 2004). Anoplius imbellis is particularly abundant on the West Coast ( Wasbauer and Kimsey 1985). This spider wasp is quite small, averaging 7.5 (5–10) mm long ( Evans 1951). The typical host spider of A. imbellis , Pardosa ramulosa McCook , lives near water and hunts aquatic insects. Anoplius imbellis hunts this spider along the margins of still water. Species of Pardosa C. L. Koch have long legs and are called “thin-legged wolf spiders.” Calymmaria Chamberlin and Ivie also has long legs and wandering males may visually resemble Pardosa ramulosa .