| Anoplius infuscatus | |
|---|---|
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| Anoplius infuscatus dragging a spider | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Pompilidae |
| Genus: | Anoplius |
| Species: | A. infuscatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Anoplius infuscatus (Vander Linden, 1827) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Anoplius infuscatus is a species of spider wasp found mainly in Eurasia.
A. infuscatus occurs in Europe (including southern Britain) and North Africa, east to the Pacific. [2]
A. infuscatus is about 10 mm in length and resemble the Arachnospila wasps with which they are often found in appearance and behaviour. The colouring of A. infuscatus is less red than orange and its wing venation also differs from all members of Arachnospila. [3]
This species prefers moist sandy areas, especially near the coast. [2]
Xerolycosa nemoralis , Alopecosa trabalis , Trochosa ruricola and Pardosa monticola spiders are recorded as prey [4] [5] but A. infuscatus is also suspected to feed on other members of the families Lycosidae, Agelenidae and Thomisidae. [2] Adults nectar on Heracleum sphondylium and other members of the Apiaceae. [2] [4] Prey is captured following an active hunt and paralysed within the spider's own burrow or other hiding place, e.g. under a stone while the nest burrow is constructed. The spider is then dragged to the wasp's nest burrow and the wasp begins to construct a cell in which to place the spider. Commencement of cell construction is indicated by the wasp entering and leaving the nesting burrow head first, meaning it can turn around in the burrow. Sometimes the wasp amputates some of the spider's legs before placing into the burrow. The wasp lays its egg on the gaster of the spider. [5]
Kleptoparasitic behaviour has been recorded, both intraspecific and from Anoplius concinnus. In the latter case, the A. infuscatus female entered the nest of its congener, destroyed the egg already on the spider and placed one of its own. [5] Interaction with ants can disturb the wasp while it is transporting the prey and this can cause it to hide the prey by placing it higher up in grass. There is also a case of parasitism by the fly of the family Sarcophagidae, probably Sarcophaga socrus , while the spider-wasps Ceropales maculata , Ceropales cribrata and Evagetes argenteodecoratus have been recorded as interspecific kleptoparasites. [5]
The flight period in Britain is from June to September [2] and it does not overwinter as an adult. [3]
A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs, offspring, and, oftentimes, the animal itself. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves, or may be a simple depression in the ground, or a hole in a rock, tree, or building. Human-made materials, such as string, plastic, cloth, or paper, may also be used. Nests can be found in all types of habitat.
Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary, and most capture and paralyze prey, though members of the subfamily Ceropalinae are kleptoparasites of other pompilids, or ectoparasitoids of living spiders.
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps but are in a separate suborder. The wasps do not constitute a clade, a complete natural group with a single ancestor, as their common ancestor is shared by bees and ants. Many wasps, those in the clade Aculeata, can sting their insect prey.
Pompilus cinereus, the leaden spider wasp is the most widespread species of the Pompilus spider wasps, and throughout a large proportion of its wide distribution is the only species of Pompilus. It is the type species of the genus Pompilus and therefore of the family Pompilidae.
Anoplius is a genus of spider wasps in the family Pompilidae, called the blue-black spider wasps.
Auplopus carbonarius is a spider wasp of the family Pompilidae. Uniquely among the British group it constructs a nest of barrel-shaped cells in which spiders are stored and the larvae develop.
Cryptocheilus notatus is the largest species of spider wasps (Pompilidae) to be found in Great Britain reaching up to 18mm in length.
Anoplius nigerrimus is one of the most common spider wasps, or pompilids, in Europe. They are mostly black and the females are 6-8 mm long while males measure 5-8 mm. This species may be distinguished from the related Anoplius concinnus and Anoplius caviventris by the 20 setae, or hairs, on the forehead rather than 60 or 45.
Ceropales maculata is a kleptoparasitic spider wasp found in the holoarctic region.
Cryptocheilus australis, the golden spider wasp, is an Australian pepsid spider wasp that was accidentally introduced to New Zealand around 1960.
Sphictostethus nitidus, the golden hunter wasp or red spider wasp, is a species of pepsid spider wasp endemic to New Zealand.
Evagetes is a genus of spider wasps from the family Pompilidae. There are 72 described species, of which 58 are found in the Palaearctic region, 11 in the Nearctic region, with a few penetrating to the Afrotropical, Oriental and Neotropic regions. Evagetes wasps are kleptoparasitic on other pompilid wasps, especially the genera Arachnospila, Anoplius, Episyron and Pompilus, digging into their sealed burrows, eating the host egg and replacing it with an egg of its own. Evagetes wasps are characterised by their very short antennae. Most are species are black with the base of the antennae rufous, several Evagetes species are very metallic bluish insects.
Evagetes crassicornis is a kleptoparasitic spider wasp with a holarctic distribution.
Agenioideus cinctellus is a spider wasp of the subfamily Pompilinae with a Palearctic distribution.
Anoplius viaticus, commonly known as the black-banded spider wasp, is a species of spider wasp. These wasps are known as spider wasps because the females capture spiders to provide their offspring with food. The paralysed spider is cached in a burrow, the wasp lays an egg on it, and when this hatches, the developing wasp larva consumes the spider. This species is found in sandy heathland across most of Europe.
Anoplius concinnus is a widespread Eurasian species of spider wasp.
Tachypompilus analis, the red-tailed spider wasp is a species of spider wasp found in most of tropical and subtropical Asia, north to Japan. These spider wasps often hunt huntsman spiders.
Tachypompilus ferrugineus, the rusty spider wasp, red-tailed spider hunter, or sometimes red-tailed spider wasp is a species of spider wasp from the Americas. It preys mainly on wandering spiders, especially wolf spiders.
Poecilopompilus algidus is a species of spider wasp which is widespread in the Americas.
Odynerus spinipes, the spiny mason wasp, is a species of potter wasp from western Europe. It is the type species of the genus Odynerus, being first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.