Pompilidae is a family of wasps in the order Pinnacle-tailed wasps of the order Membranidae. Insects in this family mainly live on parasitic or predatory spiders, so they are commonly called spider bees, and are called spiders or pompeid wasps in English. There are about 5,000 species of spider bees that have been found and described, divided into 6 subfamilies and many genera. Spider bees are widely distributed throughout the world, and all species are solitary hymenopteran insects. Most species of spider bees capture and paralyze prey, but the spider bees of the Ceropalinae subfamily are other spider bees that are theft parasites (cleptoparasites) or ectoparasitoids of live spiders.
Spider Bee ( )
The thorax of the spider bee is tightly healed, developed and powerful, and suitable for flight. The dorsal plate of the forebreast extends up to the base of the wing (tegulae) near the base of the wing. Among insects of the arachnoid bee family and the scoliidae family, the forebutorum appears to be very developed because their forefoots are used for excavation. The foot of the spider bee is slender and prickly, and the hindfoot leg segment is long and extends to the end of the abdomen. There is a prominent spike at the front of the tibia segment of the posterior foot. The first two segments of the abdomen are constricted, making the whole body appear slender. The body color of spider bees is mostly black or blue, and sometimes has a metallic color. Most spider bees are macropterous, with only a very small number being brachypterous and apterous.
A spider bee ( )
The most obvious difference between spider wasps and other species in the family Vespa is that the mesopleuron above the basal segment of the midfoot of the vast majority of spider wasps is bisected by a horizontal groove. Female spider bees have 10 antennal whips, while males have 11. Most species of spider bees have inverted eye margins. Although female spider bees are generally larger than male spider bees, the phenomenon of sexual type II of spider bees is not very obvious. Spider bees often have some aposematic markings on their wings , mostly orange , red , yellow , or white.
Spider bees are a type of solitary wasps that parasitize spiders and use spiders to feed their larvae. After catching the spider, they first pierced it with a sting needle at the end of the abdomen and injected venom into the spider, paralyzing it and unable to move. It is then dragged into a nest, which may have been prepared in advance or dug up nearby because the prey is too large to carry. After that, the female spider bees begin to lay eggs on the paralyzed spiders, laying only 1 egg on each spider. After laying the eggs, before leaving the nest, it will seal the opening to prevent predators from entering the nest. Spider bees also carry dead ants at the entrance of their nests, using chemicals emitted from their corpses to ward off predatory predators. Because when digging the nest, it will leave some debris at the mouth of the cave, so it is easy for predatory predators to find the nest location. Therefore, in order not to let predators find the nest, the spider bee will also flatten the soil grain pile when sealing the cave entrance, and carefully check whether the hole has been covered perfectly, in order to make predatory predators think that there is no nest here.
The size of the captured spiders is large and small, which has a great influence on the sex of the bee that the eggs produced on it will develop into, and the spider bees that grow on larger prey are likely to be only large female spider bees. After the eggs hatch, the paralyzed spider is actually still alive and the larvae begin to feed. When all the edible parts are eaten, the spider bee larvae have completed its growth and development, so they begin to spit out cocoons and pupate in them. Pupae usually do not feather until the summer of the following year. Some spider bees of the Ceropalinae subfamily lay their eggs on the spider's living body, and the hatching larvae feed on the spider's hemolymphs from the outside. By the time the spider dies, the larvae of the spider bee also begin to pupate. Spider bee larvae have 5 ages, 1 to 4 years of age larvae generally do not eat the spider's heart and central nervous system, which can ensure the vitality of the prey tissue without decomposition and decay.
Some spider bees sting people with pain levels up to 4 or 4+ on the Schmidt pain index.
The spider bee dragged a spider to the nest
Spider bees fly with their prey
Spider bees ( ) and their prey round spiders ( )
An as yet-to-beident spider bee from Texas, USA
Spider bees and prey
Spider bees attacking the Crab Spider
Spider bees are moved away by ants
A spider bee
A spider bee captures a large cancer spider
A spider bee captures a spider
A paralyzed spider is carried to the nest of the spider bee
A spider bee drags its prey to its catch
An Indian spider bee is carrying a jumping spider
[Attached: Some genera from 4 subfamilies in the arachnid family]
I. Ceropalinae subfamily. They are some solitary bee species that prey on spiders (mainly of the same family of spiders) thief parasites (kleptoparasites). There are two genera: (1) and (2).
II. Ctenocerinae subfamily. The subfamily is a predatory spider bee that preys on trap-door spiders that trap holes. The genera under this subfamily are:
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25. Pseudopedinaspis
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III. Subfamily Pepsinae. The subfamily includes tarantula hawks, among others, as well as a number of small species. The main genera are:
Spider bee ( ) and its prey )
Orange spider wasp ()
Iv. Subfamily Pompilinae. Spider bees of this subfamily lay eggs on captured and paralyzed spiders, feeding their larvae with live prey. The ambulatory bees of this family are divided into Apolini, Homonotini, Pompilini and Psammoderini. The genera in the subfamily Arachnid were:
genus
17. Aporinellus
18. Aporus
19. Arachnospila
20. Arachnotheutes
21. Argyroclitus
22. Argyrogenia
23. Aridestus
24. Arpactomorpha
25. Aspidaporus
26. Atelostegus
27. Austrochares
28. Baguenaia
29. Bambesa
30. Batozonellus
31. Batozonoides
32. Calopompilus
33. Ceropalites
34. Chalcochares
35. Chelaporus
36. Ciliaporus
37. Claveliocnemis
38. Cliochares
39. Cordyloscelis
40. Ctenostegus
41. Cyemagenia
42. Dasyclavelia
43. Dendropompilus
44. Derochorses
45. Dicranoplius
46. Dicyrtomellus
47. Dimorphagenia
48. Dolichocurgus
49. Drepanaporus
i
50. Dromochares
51. Eidopompilus
52. Elaphrosyron
53. Entomobora
54. Eoferreola
55. Epiclinotus
56.Episyron
57. Euclavelia
58. Euplaniceps
59 Euryzonotulus
60. Evagenia
61. Evagetes
62. Ferreola
63. Ferreolomorpha
64. Gilbertellana
65. Gonaporus
66. Hadroclavella
67. Hauptiella
68. Herpetosphex
69. Heterodontonyx
70. Homonotus
71. Hormopogonius
72. Icazus
73. Idiaporina
74. Iridomimus
75. Kyphopompilus
76. Lissagenia
77. Melanoporus
78. Metaposcopus
79. Micraporus
80. Microclavelia
81. Microferreola
82. Microphadnus
83. Micropompilus
84. Mimocurgus
85. Minotocyphus
86. Morochares
87. Mystacagenia
88. Nannaporus
89. Nanoclavelia
90. Narochares
91. Neanoplius
92. Neoplaniceps
93. Nesopompilus
94. Notoplaniceps
95. Pachycurgus
96. Pamirospila
97. Parabatozonus
98. Paracyphononyx
99. Paraferreola
100. Paragenioideus
101. Paranoplius
102. Parapsilotelus
103. Paraschistonyx
104. Pareiaxenus
105. Pareiocurgus
106. Pedinpompilus
107. Phanagenia
108. Phanochilus
109. Plagomma
110. Platydialepis
111. Podagenia
112. Poecilocurgus
113. Poecilopompilus
114. Pompilopterus
115. Pompilus
116. Priochilus
117. Psammoderes
118. Pseudageniella
119. Pseudoclavelia
120. Pseudoferreola
121. Pseudopompilus
122. Pseudosalius
123. Psoropempula
124. Psorthaspis
125. Pygmachus
126. Quiris
127. Rhabdaporus
128. Rhynchopompilus
129. Schistonyx
130. Sericopompilus
131. Spuridiophorus
132. Stolidia
133. Syntomoclitus
134. Tachyagetes
135. Tachypompilus
136. Taeniaporus
137. Tagalochares
138. Tastiotenia
139. Telostegus
140. Telostholus
141.Trachyglyptus
142. Tupiaporus
143. Turneromyia
144. Xenanoplius
145. Xenaporus
146. Xenocurgus