Additional new and unusual host records for Western Hemisphere spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)

Abstract

We present 112 new and unusual host records for 63 species and subspecies of Pompilidae (Hy¬menoptera) from the Western Hemisphere in modified taxonomic order according to the Synoptic Catalog of Hymenoptera (Krombein 1979). These records supplement those reported in a recent study by Kurcze¬wski et al. (2020b). New and atypical genus and species host records are given for the genera Calopompilus Ashmead, Herbstellus Wahis, Pepsis Fabricius, Priocnessus Banks, Entypus Dahlbom, Pompilocalus Roig-Alsina, Sphictostethus Kohl, Priocnemis Schiødte, Caliadurgus Fabricius, Epipompilus Kohl, Auplopus Spinola, Ageniella Banks, Eragenia Banks, Agenioideus Ashmead, Sericopompilus Howard, Poecilopompilus Ashmead, Tachypompilus Ashmead, and Priochilus (Fabricius). New host spider families are introduced for species of Calopompilus (Nemesiidae), Pepsis (Idiopidae, Pycnothelidae), Priocnessus (Euagridae), Entypus (Agelenidae), Ageniella (Theridiidae, Zoropsidae), Agenioideus (Theridiidae), Poecilopompilus (Salticidae), Tachypompilus (Anyphaenidae, Xenoctenidae, Pycnothelidae), Xerochares (Sparassidae), and Priochilus (Agelenidae). Curicaberis ?culiacans Rheims (Sparassidae), as prey of Xerochares expulsus (Schulz), is the first host record for this rare monotypic genus. Four new host spider families are reported from the Western Hemisphere for the first time: Idiopidae for Pepsis terminata, Pycnothelidae for Pepsis completa Smith and Tachypompilus mendozae (Dalla Torre), Euagridae for Priocnessus hurdi Dreisbach, and Xenoctenidae for T. mendozae. Pycnothelidae represents the first host record of a mygalomorph spider [Acanthogonatus ?incursus (Chamberlin)] for the worldwide genus Tachypompilus, based on more than 2500 host records. Amputation of the host spider’s legs and Ageniellini method of prey transport is highly unique in Poecilopompilus mixtus.

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