Spider Wasps

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Pompilidae: /pɒmˈpɪlɪdiː/

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Summary

Pompilidae, known as spider wasps, are a family of wasps that primarily hunt spiders for their larvae. They exhibit a variety of morphological adaptations for predation and flight, are mostly solitary, and possess potent venom.

Physical Characteristics

Pompilids typically have long, spiny legs; the hind femur is often long enough to reach past the tip of the abdomen. Their bodies are usually dark (black or blue, with metallic reflections), but many brightly colored species exist. Most species have a transverse groove bisecting the mesopleuron and 10 flagellomeres in the female and 11 in the male. The hind legs have a tibial spur with a tuft or row of fine hairs, and sexual dimorphism is present with females often being larger than males.

Identification Tips

Best distinguished from other vespoid wasps by the transverse groove bisecting the mesopleuron. They typically have slender bodies with long legs and a distinctive jugal lobe in the hind wings.

Habitat

Adults are usually found on flowers or on the ground searching for prey. Nests may be constructed in various substrates such as soil or pre-existing burrows.

Distribution

Cosmopolitan, with approximately 5,000 species worldwide and 115 species found in Florida. Distributed across various continents excluding Antarctica.

Diet

Adults feed on nectar from flowers, while larvae feed exclusively on spiders, which are paralyzed and stored as food for developing larvae.

Life Cycle

Females lay a single egg on a paralyzed spider, which the larva feeds on once it hatches. The larvae go through five instar stages before pupating.

Reproduction

Solitary; typically a single female constructs a nest and lays an egg on a captured spider, which provides the food source for the developing larva.

Ecosystem Role

Predators of spiders, thus they help in controlling spider populations. They interact with various plants as nectar feeders, playing a role in pollination.

Cultural Significance

In South America, referred to as marabunta or marimbondo; in parts of Venezuela and Colombia as matacaballos or 'horse killers', and in Brazil as fecha-goela or cerra-goela.

Health Concerns

Species such as Pepsis grossa are known for their painful sting, rated a 4 on the Schmidt sting pain index, which is described as severely painful.

Evolution

Oldest fossil known from the Early Eocene; other fossils found in Dominican and Baltic ambers. The family has undergone classification changes, with various subfamilies being recognized in different studies.

Misconceptions

Commonly misidentified as simply 'wasps', they have specific traits that distinguish them, such as their unique hunting behavior and specific host selection.

Tags

• Pompilidae
• Spider Wasps
• Hymenoptera
• Predatory Wasps
• Insecta