Notocyphus dorsalis arizonicus Townes

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 : 59

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.).