Pompilidae Family (Insecta: Hymenoptera) as a parasitoid of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae)

Abstract

Pompilidae is a family of solitary wasps, cosmopolitan, but predominates in tropical regions. They are popularly known as “spider hunting wasps” due to the egg laying behavior of paralyzed spiders that females of most species exhibit. The aim of this manuscript was to carry out an inventory of the Pompilidae Family (Insecta: Diptera) related to its biogeography, bioecology, habitat, geographic distribution, taxonomy, life cycle, phenology and taxonomic and conceptual aspects of the Family, Subfamilies and Species. To this end, a bibliographic survey of Pompilidae was carried out in the years 1979 to 2021. Only complete articles published in scientific journals and expanded abstracts presented at national and international scientific events, Doctoral Thesis and Master's Dissertation were considered. Data were also obtained from platforms such as: Academia.edu, Frontiers, Qeios, Pubmed, Biological Abstract, Publons, Dialnet, World, Wide Science, Springer, RefSeek, Microsoft Academic, Science and ERIC. The knowledge of the Neotropical fauna is fragmented and still presents many taxonomic problems. Pinpelidae not only have significant interactions with the local spider fauna, but adults largely subsist on nectar and therefore also serve pollinators.