Kleptoparasitism-host
Guides
Metepeira grandiosa
Metepeira grandiosa is a species of orb-weaving spider in the family Araneidae. Like other members of the genus Metepeira, it constructs a distinctive web architecture combining a small orb web with a tangled, labyrinthine snare and a debris-decorated retreat. The species is found in North America.
Prionyx
Prionyx is a genus of solitary thread-waisted wasps in the family Sphecidae, distributed across the Americas from southern Canada to Argentina. All species are specialist predators of grasshoppers (Acrididae), which they paralyze with venom and provision as food for their larvae in underground burrows. The genus is characterized by a globose abdomen, spiny legs with saw-like tarsal claws, and distinctive nesting behaviors. Females dig burrows after securing prey, transport paralyzed grasshoppers to single-celled nests, and seal the entrance upon completion. Some species exhibit facultative kleptoparasitism when nesting aggregations overlap with other wasp species.