Pepsis amyntas Mocsáry, 1885

Kurczewski, Frank E., West, Rick C. & Waichert, Cecilia, 2024, New host records for Nearctic and Neotropical spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), Insecta Mundi 2024 (34), pp. 1-32 : 8

Pepsis amyntas Mocsáry

ARGENTINA: Marcos Juárez Department, Córdoba Province, Cruz Alta; May 2017; G. Paoloni. Host: Actinopus cordobensis Rio-Tamayo and Goloboff ( Actinopodidae ), adult female (BL, ~ 20 mm). A series of six photographs shows the wasp ( Fig. 7 ) attacking the mouse spider as it walked across the grass; ( Fig. 8 ) atop, beside and in front of the spider as she repositioned herself to sting and immobilize it; ( Fig. 9 ) transporting it to its nearby burrow, grasping it with her mandibles by different legs as she moved it; ( Fig. 10 ) positioning its abdomen near the opening; and ( Fig. 11 ) entering its burrow, turning around inside, grasping the immobilized spider by its left hindleg with her mandibles, and ( Fig. 12 ) pulling it slowly into its burrow ( Fig. 7–12 ; Paoloni 2017).

BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz Department, Amboro National Park ; February 2014; M. A. Jiménez. Host: Actinopus? cochabamba Ríos-Tamayo , adult or subadult female. The wasp held the paralyzed mouse spider ventral side upward as it laid on the ground, grasping the base of its right rear leg with her mandibles ( Jiménez 2014).

Actinopus? cochabamba and A. cordobensis ( Actinopodidae ) are the first host records and new host family, genus and species for Pepsis amyntas ( Kurczewski et al. 2020, 2022b).

Figures

Figures 7–12. Pepsis amyntas (Pompilidae) with Actinopus cordobensis (Actinopidae). 7–9) After stinging and immobilizing the mouse spider, the wasp transported it to its nearby burrow, grasping it with her mandibles by different legs. © Graciela Paoloni. 10) The wasp dragged the mouse spider to its burrow entrance and positioned it with its abdomen over the open entrance. The trapdoor made of soil, silk, and debris is at the lower right. © Graciela Paoloni. 11–12) The mouse spider is pulled slowly down the open burrow. The wasp’s head and thorax are seen in Figure 11 but not in Figure 12. The trapdoor is seen at the lower right in Figure 12. © Graciela Paoloni.