Nesting behavior of the spider wasp Calopompilus pyrrhomelas (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)
Hymenoptera
Pompilidae
Frank E. Kurczewski
1188 Converse Drive NE Atlanta, GA 30324
Marhsal Hedin
Department of Biology San Diego State University San Diego, CA 92182
Rick C. West
6365 Willowpark Way Sooke, BC, Canada V9Z 1L9
Keywords: Antrodiaetidae, Antrodiaetus montanus, Nemesiidae, Calisoga longitarsis, California false tarantula
Abstract
The nesting behavior of the spider wasp Calopompilus pyrrhomelas (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsini) is described for the first time based on independent observations and photographic series from Oak¬land, Alameda County, CA; Denio, Humboldt County, NV; and Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, Marin County, CA, respectively. The three wasps captured, immobilized, and provisioned the spider’s own burrows with Cal¬isoga longitarsis (Simon) (Nemesiidae) and Antrodiaetus montanus (Chamberlin and Ivie) (Antrodiaetidae).
References
- Blackwell K. 2022. Genus Calisoga. Available at https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/126289533 (Last accessed 18 July 2022.)
- Coyle FA. 1971. Systematics and the natural history of the mygalomorph spider genus Antrodiaetus and related genera (Araneae: Antrodiaetidae). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 141: 269–402.
- Evans HE, Yoshimoto CM. 1962. The ecology and nesting behavior of the Pompilidae (Hymenoptera) of the northeastern United States. Miscellaneous Publications of the Entomological Society of America 3: 65–119.
- Hedin M. 2022. Calopompilus pyrrhomelas. Available at https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/131372406 (Last accessed 18 August 2022.)
- Krombein KV. 1958. Hymenoptera of America north of Mexico, Synoptic Catalog. First Supplement. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Monograph 2: 1–305.
- Krombein KV. 1979. Family Pompilidae. p. 1523–1570. In: Krombein KV, Hurd PD Jr, Smith DR, and Burks BD (Eds.). Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico. Volume 2, Apocrita (Aculeata). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC: 1199–2209.
- Kurczewski FE, Edwards GB. 2012. Hosts, nesting behavior, and ecology of some North American spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). Southeastern Naturalist 11 (Monograph 4): 1–71.
- Kurczewski FE, Edwards GB, Pitts JP. 2017. Hosts, nesting behavior, and ecology of some North American spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), II. Southeastern Naturalist 16 (Monograph 9): 1–82.
- Kurczewski FE, Kurczewski EJ. 1968. Host records for some North American Pompilidae (Hymenoptera) with a discussion of factors in prey selection. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 41: 1–33.
- Kurczewski FE, West RC. 2022. Host selection and nesting behavior of Nearctic trapdoor spider-hunting spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsini, Aporini). Insecta Mundi 0959: 1–24.
- Kurczewski FE, West RC, Waichert C, Kissane KC, Ubick D, Pitts JP. 2020. New and unusual host records for North American and South American spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). Zootaxa 4891: 1–112.
- Kurczewski FE, West RC, Waichert C, Pitts JP. 2022. Additional new and unusual host records for Western Hemisphere spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). Insecta Mundi 0928: 1–32.
- Townes H. 1957. Nearctic wasps of the subfamilies Pepsinae and Ceropalinae. United States National Museum Bulletin 209: 1–286.
- Wang Y. 2022. Thisbe’s Tarantula-hawk Wasp (Pepsis thisbe). Available at https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/131297287 (Last accessed 18 August 2022.)
- Wasbauer MS, Kimsey LS. 1985. California spider wasps of the subfamily Pompilinae (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). Bulletin of the California Insect Survey 26: 1–130.
Publication
0980
Published
2023-03-25
How to cite
Kurczewski FE, Hedin M, West RC. 2023. Nesting behavior of the spider wasp Calopompilus pyrrhomelas (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). Insecta Mundi 0980: 1–7.