Poecilopompilus, Ashmead

Lopez, Vinicius M., Cardoso, Renan Kobal De Oliveira Alves, Cezário, Rodrigo R., Guillermo-Ferreira, Rhainer & Dos Santos, Eduardo F., 2021, New Species of Entypus (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) and notes on the natural history of some Atlantic Forest spider wasps, Zootaxa 5061 (2), pp. 361-368 : 366

Poecilopompilus

On two occasions, a female Poecilopompilus sp. was observed transporting an adult female of an undetermined species of crab spider ( Misumenops sp. ) (Video 3). The wasp dragged the paralyzed crab spider with its dorsal side upwards. The wasp carried her host by grasping a foreleg with the mandibles and deposited the spider near the nest entrance (approx. 1m). After depositing the host (see from 05sec in Video 4), the wasp probably started to search for the nest entrance. This behavior continued for 2min05sec (Video 4). When the wasp located the nest, it entered and left the nest, possibly inspecting it. In sequence, the wasp returned to the site where the paralyzed host was left, grasped it again (i.e., in the same manner as described above) and carried it directly into the nest.

The nest was simple, a 16 cm tunnel angled downwards ~45° in relation to the surface, with 2 cm diameter. The nest was located on the edge of low vegetation (i.e., grass) ( Figs 13–14 ) surrounding the trail. There was no construction of a temporary closure to protect the nest during the hunting period. However, throughout the permanent closure, the wasp filled the nest with soil from the previous excavation, using the forelegs, and compacted the soil by pressing the pygidial plate against the burrow walls (Video 5). In the final step, the wasp started biting the edge of the burrow with the mandibles to remove loose soil. The wasp also manipulated the soil with its forelegs and compacted it with the pygidium. We did not find egg laying on the spider. Finally, the recorded ethological sequence can be categorized as VPTC.

Figures

FIGURES 9–14. Behavioral observations of spider wasp species from the BrazilianAtlantic Forest. 9–10. Ageniella erythroptera transporting a wolf spider (Trochosa sp.) on a leaf of grass 11. Entypus bituberculatus with the paralyzed host Ctenus ornatus. 12. Ctenus ornatus paralyzed after being stung be E. bituberculatus 13. Poecilopompilus sp. nest entrance 13. Crab spider (Misumenops sp.) removed from the Poecilopompilus sp. nest.