Pepsis sumptuosa Smith, 1855

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 : 15-16

Pepsis sumptuosa Smith

COLOMBIA: Antioquia Department, Envigado; 18 July 2014; J. G. Zapata. Host: Xenesthis sp. ( Theraphosidae ), adult or subadult female. A short video shows the wasp following the tarantula walking away on the ground, then turn on her back, and grappling with the spider, flipping it over, ventral side upward, and stinging it between the 3 rd and 4 th left coxa. The wasp dismounts from the paralyzed spider, rubs its venter on the ground, then stands a short distance away and preens her antennae ( Zapata 2014).

COLOMBIA: Caldas Department, Manizales, Los Alcázares Ecopark ; posted 31 July 2018; J. F. S. Duque. Host: Unidentified species ( Theraphosidae ), adult or subadult female. The wasp dragged the paralyzed tarantula on the ground, dorsal side upward, grasping the base of its left pedipalp with her mandibles ( Fig. 1 , Duque 2018; J. F. L. Duque, Colombia, 2019 pers. comm.) .

COLOMBIA: Nariño Department, Chachag ̹í; 5 February 2015; M. Claassen. Host:? Pamphobeteus sp., adult or subadult female. The wasp prepared a nest in the ground before dragging the recently paralyzed tarantula, dorsal side upward, backwards across the ground with her mandibles ( Claassen 2015) .

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. 1. Pepsis sumptuosa, female, with immobilized unidentified species (Theraphosidae), adult or subadult female, Los Alcázares Ecopark, Manizales, Caldas Department, Colombia. Photograph: © J. F. L. Duque, Manizales, Caldas Department, Colombia. 2. Pompilocalus caupolican, female, with immobilized Phrixotrichus cf scrofa (Theraphosidae), adult or subadult female, 16 km E of Cañete at the Butamalal River, Arauco Province, Biobío Region, Chile. Photograph: © D. Fenolio, San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, United States. 3. Sphictostethus gravesii, female, with immobilized unidentified species (Nemesiidae), adult male, Nahuelbuta National Park, Malleco Province, La Araucania Region, Chile. Photograph: © P. V. Betancourt, Valparaíso, Valparaíso Province, Valparaíso Region, Chile. 4. Sphictostethus xanthopus, female, with immobilized Lycosa sp. (Lycosidae), adult or subadult female, Talcahuano, Concepción Province, Biobío Region, Chile. Photograph: © D. M. Pereira, Talcahuano, Concepción Province, Biobío Region, Chile. 5. Auplopus auripilus, female, with immobilized unidentified species (Anyphaenidae), adult or subadult female, Hacienda Barú Lodge, Guapil, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica. Photograph: © S. Marshall, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. 6. Eragenia coerulipes, female, with immobilized Corinna sp. (Corinnidae), adult or subadult female, Drake Bay, Osa Peninsula, Punatenas Province, Costa Rica. Photograph: © G. Gómez and T. Stice, Drake Bay, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica. 7. Poecilopompilus mixtus, female, with immobilized unidentified species (Araneidae), adult female, Misahualli, Napo Province, Ecuador. Photograph: © A. Kay, Puyo, Pastaza Province, Ecuador. 8. Priochilus gloriosum, female, with immobilized unidentified species (Sparassidae), subadult male, opposite embankment of Amazon River, Cumaceba Lodge, Loreto, Peru. Photograph: © W. Lamar, Tyler, Texas, United States.