Seven new species of spider-attacking Hymenoepimecis Viereck (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae) from Ecuador, French Guiana, and Peru, with an identification key to the world species

Abstract

Seven new species of Hymenoepimecis Viereck are described from Peruvian Andes and Amazonia, French Guiana and Ecuador: H. andina Pádua & Sääksjärvi, sp. nov., H. castilloi Pádua & Sääksjärvi, sp. nov., H. dolichocarinata Pádua & Sääksjärvi, sp. nov., H. ecuatoriana Pádua & Sääksjärvi, sp. nov., H. longilobus Pádua & Sääksjärvi, sp. nov., H. pucallpina Pádua & Sääksjärvi, sp. nov., and H. rafaelmartinezi Pádua & Sääksjärvi, sp. nov. In addition, the male of the Hymenoepimecis kleini Pádua & Sobczak, 2015 is described, new faunistic records for the genus provided, as well as an illustrated identification key to all known species of the genus.

Parasitoidism in the heights: behavioral modification of spider induced by Darwin wasps at the Colombian Andes

“…Previously Pádua et al (2015; 2020)d dua (2022) studied individuals of this genus were found in several countries of Central and South America, except in Colombia. A female of H. castilloi was previously found in a malaise trap in the Peruvian Andes (Pádua et al 2020), but its hosts were unknown and now was con rmed as Leucauge mariana. Since Colombia is the biological corridor between Central and South America, many species must be present in this territory.…”

A review of the spider-attacking Polysphincta dizardi species-group (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae), with descriptions of seven new species from South America

“…Gauld and Dubois (2006) proposed that the P. dizardi species-group could be a new polysphinctine genus that could be described when the tropical diversity of the group becomes better known. Given the non-declining rates of discovery and description of new polysphinctine species in the Neotropics ( Kloss et al 2018 ; Pádua et al 2019 , 2020a , b ; Sobczak et al 2019 ), we refrain at present from splitting the genus Polysphincta . We will firstly continue filling in the gap in biodiversity knowledge of Polysphincta of South America.…”

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

“…Hymenoepimecis Viereck, 1912 is a genus of parasitoid wasps included in the Polysphincta group of genera, members of which are usually referred to as 'polysphinctines' (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae) (Matsumoto 2016). 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).…”