Behavioural notes on the Neotropical parasocial spider wasp Ageniella (Lissagenia) flavipennis (Banks) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), with host association

Abstract

1. Ageniella is a species‐rich group of spider wasps restricted to the New World. Knowledge regarding the behaviour of this genus is based mainly on the Nearctic species, which have been reported to nest solitarily in the soil. This study reports for the first time the nesting behaviour, with host association of Ageniella (Lissagenia) flavipennis Banks.2. Behavioural aspects on the nesting of A. flavipennis were observed from a study of six nests found in an Atlantic Forest conservation area in São Paulo State, Brazil. Host specimens were collected from a nest, as well as while being carried by an A. flavipennis individual.3. The present study reports the A. flavipennis females cohabiting or nesting solitarily in mud nests, indicating that this spider wasp shows some lower level of parasociality. In addition, the spider Enoploctenus cyclothorax (Bertkau) was reported for the first time as host. As has been observed for other Ageniellini, females of A. flavipennis amputate the host's legs and transport the spider to the nest, flying or walking forward.4. Communal behaviour has been reported for species of different genera of Pompilidae, such as Macromeris Lepeletier, Paragenia Bingham and Auplopus Spinola. Recent phylogenetic analyses suggest that the Lissagenia species are more closely related to the other Ageniellini genera than to the other Ageniella species. The present information on nesting and prey could contribute towards a more conclusive phylogenetic position of Lissagenia.