A New Darwin Wasp (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) and New Records of Behavioral Manipulation of the Host Spider Leucauge volupis (Araneae: Tetragnathidae).

Some ichneumonid wasps of the Polysphincta group of genera (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) induce behavioral modifications in their host spiders during a specific moment of their development, resulting in the construction of webs that differ in several aspects from those constructed by unparasitized individuals. In this study, we describe the parasitoid wasp Hymenoepimecis pinheirensis sp. n. (Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) and present information on behavioral modifications in the orb-web structure of its host, the spider Leucauge volupis (Keyserling 1893). Previously, reported observation on this host/parasitoid interaction was restricted to one locality, and the wasp species was misidentified as Hymenoepimecis jordanensis Loffredo and Penteado-Dias 2009. Modified webs built by parasitized spiders lack adhesive spirals and have several radii that converge to the web hub. The cocoon built by the wasp larvae is attached to the web hub, suspended by horizontal radial lines, and surrounded by a tridimensional tangle positioned below the hub. This modified web structure is similar to the most frequent architecture of webs constructed by individuals of Leucauge mariana (Taczanowski 1881) parasitized by Hymenoepimecis tedfordi Gauld 1991. However, cocoon webs built by L. volupis parasitized by H. pinheirensis sp. n. differ from the cocoon webs described for the other Leucauge species parasitized by Hymenoepimecis wasps. This evidence suggests that the modified web pattern in Leucauge species is determined by specific responses of each spider species to the behavioral manipulation mechanism displayed by the wasps.

Seven new species of spider-attacking Hymenoepimecis Viereck (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae) from Ecuador, French Guiana, and Peru, with an identification key to the world species.

Seven new species of Hymenoepimecis Viereck are described from Peruvian Andes and Amazonia, French Guiana and Ecuador: H. andina Pádua & Sääksjärvi, sp. nov., H. castilloi Pádua & Sääksjärvi, sp. nov., H. dolichocarinata Pádua & Sääksjärvi, sp. nov., H. ecuatoriana Pádua & Sääksjärvi, sp. nov., H. longilobus Pádua & Sääksjärvi, sp. nov., H. pucallpina Pádua & Sääksjärvi, sp. nov., and H. rafaelmartinezi Pádua & Sääksjärvi, sp. nov. In addition, the male of the Hymenoepimecis kleini Pádua & Sobczak, 2015 is described, new faunistic records for the genus provided, as well as an illustrated identification key to all known species of the genus.

Two new species of Zatypota (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae) sharing the same host spider in Northeast Brazil.

 Some polysphinctine wasps of the genus Zatypota complete their life cycles upon theridiid host spiders. The host range of these wasps is usually species-specific, although in some less common associations more than one wasp species interacts with the same host spider. Here we describe and illustrate the polysphinctine wasps Zatypota baezae sp. n. and Zatypota mulunguensis sp. n. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), both koinobiont ectoparasitoids of the spider Anelosimus baeza (Theridiidae). The two parasitoid wasps show the same development time (12 days) which was longer when compared with other parasitoid wasps Z. anomala Holmgren and Z. riverai Gauld (nine days). As described for other species of Zatypota and Hymenoepimecis, the second larval instar remains attached to the spider by the remains of the chorion and also by a rigid brownish-semitransparent membrane called a saddle.