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Brood Parasitism in Two Species of Spider Wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae, Dipogon), with Notes on a Novel Reproductive Strategy

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Abstract

A trap-nesting study provided the first documentation of brood parasitism in Dipogon nagasei and in D. iwatai. Dipogon nagasei was found to brood parasitize D. sperconsus, D. conspersus, D. inconspersus, and D. bifasciatus. Dipogon iwatai brood parasitized D. sperconsus, D. conspersus, D. romankovae, and Auplopus carbonarius. Both brood parasitic species are with the subgenus Nipponodipogon, whereas all five Dipogon hosts are in the subgenus Deuteragenia. Comparison of their ecological features revealed that brood parasitism in D. nagasei is considerably more derived than in D. iwatai. Of particular note is the fact that in D. nagasei the female routinely lays up to five eggs on a single host spider, all of which develop into adult wasps without larval cannibalism; almost all Pompilidae previously studied lay only one egg on a host spider.

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Acknowledgements

We thank A. C. Harris (Otago Museum, New Zealand) and Professor K. Goukon (Tohoku Gakuin University) for reviewing the manuscript with critical comments and Emeritus Professor R. Ishikawa (Tokyo Metropolitan University) for providing specimens and suggestions. For the help in installing trap nests, our thanks are also due to the following: A. Nakanishi, Y. Hashimoto, Y. Hirayama, H. Sakata, R. Shindome, H. Ueda, H. Umeda, K. Matsumoto, and many students of Animal Ecology Laboratory, Kobe College. Thanks also to D. Cohen (Otago University, New Zealand) for her help in proofreading and editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Minami-Ohsawa 1-1, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan

    Akira Shimizu

  2. Obayashi Sacred Heart Junior & Senior High School, Takarazuka, Japan

    Y. Nishimoto

  3. Forest Entomology Division, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan

    S. Makino & K. Okabe

  4. Hokkaido Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Sapporo, Japan

    K. Sayama

  5. Department of Biosphere Sciences, School of Human Sciences, Kobe College, Nishinomiya, Japan

    T. Endo

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  1. Akira Shimizu
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  2. Y. Nishimoto
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  3. S. Makino
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  4. K. Sayama
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  5. K. Okabe
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  6. T. Endo
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Correspondence to Akira Shimizu.

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Shimizu, A., Nishimoto, Y., Makino, S. et al. Brood Parasitism in Two Species of Spider Wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae, Dipogon), with Notes on a Novel Reproductive Strategy. J Insect Behav 25, 375–391 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-011-9298-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-011-9298-0

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