Spider wasps Insect Facts and Images

The European watch Spider wasps Insect , Anoplius nigerinus, preys on wolf spiders (Arachnida: Lycosidae). Having paralyzed the spider with her formidable sting, the female wasp drags it to the nest site to be used as food for her larvae. Body length 0.4 inches (10 mm).

Spider wasps Insect Facts:

FileMaker Pro 14 best price Common name: Spider wasps (spider-hunting wasps)

Family: Pompilidae

Suborder: Apocrita

Order: Hymenoptera

Class/subphylum: Insecta/Hexapoda

Number of species: About 4,000 (about 250-300 US)

Size: From about 0.4 in (10 mm) to about 2 in (5 cm)

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Key features: Body slim or fairly stout glossy, often blue-black, frequently marked with red or yellow; both sexes fully winged; wings often cloudy; long legs built for running fast eyes entire: antennae with 12 segments in females, 13 in males; pronotum extends backward to base of wings; wings flat when held at rest over back

Habits: Active in daytime, preferring high temperatures, females usually seen looking for spiders or dragging them over the ground; males mostly found on flowers

Breeding: Males much smaller than females; females of some species lay eggs on spiders, then retire; larva eats still active spider, in most species females stock larval nest cavity with a single large spider that has been paralyzed by stinging

Diet: Adults feed on nectar from flowers; larvae eat spiders

Habitat: Most common in dry open habitats such as deserts, dunes, and grassy hillsides, also in rain forests and other wooded habitats