Arachnospila arcta
(Cresson, 1865)
Arachnospila arcta is a of spider wasp in the Pompilidae, first described by Cresson in 1865. The species is currently treated as a synonym of Arachnospila arctus. Members of this are solitary that provision nests with paralyzed spiders. The has been documented in very few observations, suggesting it is either rare, undercollected, or primarily of historical taxonomic interest due to its synonym status.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Arachnospila arcta: /əˌræknəˈspɪlə ˈɑːrktə/
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Taxonomic Status
Catalogue of Life lists Arachnospila arcta as a synonym of Arachnospila arctus. The original basionym was Pompilus arctus Cresson, 1865. The epithet was later modified to 'arcta' in some treatments, but current usage favors 'arctus' as the valid name.
Observation Data
Only 6 observations are recorded in iNaturalist, indicating extremely limited contemporary documentation. This low count may reflect genuine rarity, taxonomic confusion with the accepted name A. arctus, or lack of targeted survey effort.