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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynes » Cobweb Spiders (Theridiidae) » Achaearanea » Common house spider (Achaearanea tepidariorum)
Photo#142374
larva eating a spider - Achaearanea tepidariorum
Copyright © 2007 andrewbateman

larva eating a spider - Achaearanea tepidariorum
Brossard, Quebec, Canada
September 1, 2007
Size: 2-3mm
This is a small larva eating (presumably) a spider. From what little I can see of the victim and from the location the spider might be a Common House Spider. Although not easy to see, there are small protuberances (at least three)along the larva's back. Is at possible to suggest what kind of larva this is, even in general terms? I tried to move it into a container to see what developed but it was very fragile and I probably damaged it beyond recovery. I suspect this is a long shot, but any information would be appreciated.
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Contributed by andrewbateman on 2 September, 2007 - 11:02pm
Last updated 6 November, 2007 - 11:04pm

Some
kind of wasp larva most likely.
Nick F. should have a good idea.
Your guess on the spider ID seems to match.
… Jeff Hollenbeck, 2 September, 2007 - 11:05pm login or register to post comments

 
The...
only two families of wasps I know of that have larvae that feed on ree-living spiders (well, living until they eat them to death) is Ichneumonidae and Pompilidae. The only genus of Pompilid that does this is Minagenia. I believe the subfamily of Ichneumonids that does this is Polysphictinae.
… Nick Fensler, 3 September, 2007 - 10:05am login or register to post comments

 
Many thanks
for such a very informative reply!
… andrewbateman, 3 September, 2007 - 3:05pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks
Thanks, very much appreciated! I have always thought of wasps as burying the host spider after capturing it, which is why I was so intrigued by this one.
… andrewbateman, 2 September, 2007 - 11:37pm login or register to post comments

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