Tachypompilus vulpes (Dalla Torre)

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 : 23

Tachypompilus vulpes (Dalla Torre)

BRAZIL: Minas Gerais State; Itambacuri; 12 August 2021; P. Aranã. Host: Polybetes? pythagoricus (Holmberg) ( Sparassidae ), adult or subadult female. A series of photographs show the wasp positioned in front of the paralyzed huntsman spider as it laid, dorsal side upward, on a fallen leaf and, then, dragging the huntsman spider off the leaf and over low ground vegetation, dorsal side upward, grasping its right pedipalp with her mandibles ( Fig. 15 ; Aranã 2021).

Polybetes? pythagoricus ( Sparassidae ) is a new host species for Tachypompilus vulpes . Four previous host records for this spider wasp species, all from Brazil, indicate that huntsman spiders ( Sparassidae ) of various genera are the preferred hosts ( Kurczewski et al. 2022b). These records reveal the provisioning wasps raising and holding the wings upward and outward at a ~ 45° angle as in the genus Poecilopompilus Howard ( Kurczewski et al. 2022b) .

Figures

Figures 13–18. Pompilid species with host spiders. 13) Episyron quinquenotatus quinquenotatus (Say) with Araneus gemmoides Chamberlin and Ivie, female. © Linda Mikolayenko. 14) Poecilopompilus costatus oenochrous (Schultz) with Araneus lathyrinus (Holmberg) (Araneidae), adult or subadult female. © Martin Arregui. 15) Tachypompilus vulpes (Dalla Torre) with Polybetes?pythagoricus (Holmberg) (Sparassidae), adult or subadult female. © Paulo Aranã. 16) Anoplius (Notiochares) triquetrus (Fox) with Pavocosa sp. (Lycosidae), adult or subadult male. © Alexandre Ferreira Righi. 17) Xerochares expulsus (Schulz) with Curicaberis minax (O. Pickard-Cambridge) (Sparassidae), penultimate male.© Georgia Born-Schmidt and M. Schmidt.18) Arachnospila titicacaensis (Strand) with Hogna?rufimanoides (Strand) (Lycosidae), adult or subadult female. © Francesco Romano and Nirvana Angela Marting Vidaurre.