Geographic variation in host selection in the spider wasps Entypus unifasciatus (Say) and Tachypompilus ferrugineus (Say) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), II

Authors

Frank E. Kurczewski, Atlanta, GAFollow
Joseph W. Stoll, Syracuse UniversityFollow
Rick C. West, Sooke, BC, CanadaFollow
Kelly C. Kissane, Trinidad State Junior CollegeFollow
Paige R. Chesshire, Northern Arizona UniversityFollow
Neil S. Cobb, Biodiversity Outreach Network, Flagstaff, AZFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

3-31-2022

Citation

Kurczewski FE, Stoll JW, West RC, Kissane KC, Chesshire PR, Cobb NS. 2022. Geographic variation in host selection in the spider wasps Entypus unifasciatus (Say) and Tachypompilus ferrugineus (Say) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), II. Insecta Mundi 0925: 1–73.

Comments

Copyright held by the author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License,

Published on March 31, 2022 by Center for Systematic Entomology, Inc. P.O. Box 141874 Gainesville, FL 32614-1874 USA http://centerforsystematicentomology.org/

Abstract

This paper is the sequel to a 20 year-long (2002–2021) study of geographic variation in host selec­tion in the common American spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) Entypus unifasciatus (Say) (Pepsini) and Tachypompilus ferrugineus (Say) (Pompilini) (rusty spider wasp). Geography and host spider family are strongly linked in both species when 3387 host spider locality records from the years 1918–2021 are mapped. Entypus unifasciatus lycosid host records are plentiful from 43–44° N in the United States and southern Ontario to northern Mexico. Tachypompilus ferrugineus lycosid host records are abundant from southern Ontario and New England southward to Mexico east of the Rocky Mountains. The vast majority (~80%) of E. unifasciatus and T. ferrugineus pisaurid host records are from the southeastern United States. Trechaleid host records for E. unifasciatus and T. ferrugineus are predominant in southern Mexico and Central America, while ctenid host records for these spider wasps are prevalent in Central America and, especially, South America. All E. unifasciatus sparassid host records are from extreme southwestern United States and north­ern Mexico, whereas T. ferrugineus sparassid host records are scattered from Texas, Florida and Hispaniola/Puerto Rico southward to Panama and Brazil. Based on this study Lycosidae is the predominant host spider family in the Americas for E. unifasciatus (83.1%) and T. ferrugineus (64.0%) followed by Pisauridae (4.9%, 24.8%), Trechaleidae (4.2%, 6.0%), Ctenidae (4.3%, 2.7%), and Sparassidae (3.1%, 1.6%). Lycosidae and Pisauridae are overrepresented in this study as most host records (88.1%) are from the United States and On­tario, Canada where such species are abundant. Trechaleidae and Ctenidae are grossly underrepresented as host records from Mexico, Central America and South America are scarce (11.9%). Zoropsidae/Miturgidae 2 · March 31, 2022 Kurczewski et al. and Zoropsidae/Agelenidae/Selenopidae are atypical host spider families for E. unifasciatus (0.2%, 0.2%) and T. ferrugineus (0.7%, 0.2%, <0.1%), respectively. Rabidosa rabida (Walckenaer) (Lycosidae) (rabid wolf spi­der) is the predominant host spider species for both E. unifasciatus (47.7%) and T. ferrugineus (48.0%) based mainly on United States host records.