Evidence that Polysphincta-group wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) use ecdysteroids to manipulate the 
web-construction behaviour of their spider hosts

Inclusion of an alien species in the host range of the Neotropical parasitoid Hymenoepimecis bicolor (Brullé, 1846) (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae)

“…The observation reported here is, as far as we know, the first record of a recently introduced alien host being parasitized by a species of Hymenoepimecis (Eberhard and Gonzaga 2019). One idiosyncrasy of the interaction between H. bicolor and its native host, T. clavipes, is that adult and sometimes subadult host females are much larger than the juveniles usually attacked (Sobczak 2013).…”

“…The genus currently comprises 27 species, all of which are restricted to the Neotropical region (Yu et al 2016;Pádua et al 2020). Most species were previously reported to parasitize only one host species, but three species have been found to attack two host spiders each: H. heidyae Gauld, 1991: Kapogea cyrtophoroides (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904 and K. sexnotata (Simon, 1895) (Araneidae); H. japi : Leucauge roseosignata Mello-Leitão, 1943 and Mecynogea bigibba Simon, 1903 (Araneidae); H. veranii Loffredo & Penteado-Dias, 2009: Araneus omnicolor (Keyserling, 1893) and A. orgaos Levi, 1991 (Araneidae) (Gonzaga and Sobczak 2007;Sobczak et al 2014;Barrantes et al 2018;Eberhard and Gonzaga 2019). The apparent specificity in the host-parasitoid interactions in the other cases, however, may be a consequence of a lack of information, since parasitoid behaviour has usually been described based on few observations.…”

“…These factors may reduce the availability of the potential hosts. In addition, most reports of the interactions between Hymenoepimecis and their hosts indicate that spiders change their web-building behaviors because of the action of late instar wasp larvae, possibly through the inoculation of the hormone ecdysone or some precursor of this hormone (see Kloss et al 2017;Eberhard and Gonzaga 2019). These changes result in modified cocoon webs with particular designs, and the survival of pupae of each parasitoid species may depend on specific designs obtained from their hosts.…”

Hyperparasitoids of polysphinctine Darwin wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) in South America

“…Considering that both Zatypota Förster, 1869 and Flacopimpla Gauld, 1991 were observed parasitising spiders of the genus Cryptachaea (Gonzaga et al . 2017; Eberhard & Gonzaga 2019; T.G. Kloss, pers.…”

“…2019; Higa & Penteado‐Dias 2020; Pádua & Kloss 2020; Pádua et al . 2020a, 2020b, 2021), with host records currently spanning 10 spider families (summarised in Eberhard & Gonzaga 2019).…”