The identification was made by my colleague and pompilid wasp expert - Dr. Cecilia Waichert. The host spider is an unidentified species of Salticidae (jumping spider).
This is a spider wasp (Pompilidae) with a spider. She seems to have chewed off most of the spider's legs (not unusual), and will now drag it off to a burrow somewhere to lay her egg on. The egg will hatch and the larva will consume the spider.
5 Comments
The pompilid wasp is Auplopus pratens Dreisbach, 1963.
The identification was made by my colleague and pompilid wasp expert - Dr. Cecilia Waichert. The host spider is an unidentified species of Salticidae (jumping spider).
This is a spider wasp (Pompilidae) with a spider. She seems to have chewed off most of the spider's legs (not unusual), and will now drag it off to a burrow somewhere to lay her egg on. The egg will hatch and the larva will consume the spider.
Six, very beautiful, action photos....six, very beautiful, life and death photos....
Six, very beautiful, and very interesting photos....it looks like a wasp, ( who is on top ), has just stung, another insect ( who is on bottom )...