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For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Photo#133812
small black wasp with spider

small black wasp with spider
Brossard, Quebec, Canada
August 4, 2007
Size: about half an inch
A small black spider wasp (roughly half an inch) carrying a spider. It had removed all but one leg of the spider, and was holding it backwards, biting near the spinnerets, but seemed to be having trouble carrying it. It flew in short hops and between flights it held its wings almost vertically above its body and kind of fluttered them, as though it was having trouble taking off. After this shot was taken it flew to the ground directly (almost a controlled fall), and then disappeared in the grass near the base of the wall.

If anyone can provide information about it I would be very grateful,
Thanks.

Moved
Moved from Spider Wasps.

Spider Wasp...
probably Phanagenia. The dorsal edge of the hind tibia looks smooth to me. However, Auplopus carbonarius has been recently recorded from Ontario, so I suppose there is a chance that it could also be found in Quebec. The two wasps are superficially similar. Phanagenia is probably MUCH more common, though. It's represented by one species in North America, P. bombycina.

 
Spider
Looks like a ground spider species and most of the legs have been sheared off. Nice shot.

 
thanks
Wow. That answer is pretty well the definition of knowledgeable; many thanks.