Hemipepsis tamisieri is a species of afrotropical pepsid spider wasp, one of the so-called tarantula hawks because its preferred prey are tarantulas of the family Theraphosidae.
| Hemipepsis tamisieri | |
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_with_its_prey,_a_Baboon_Spider_(Theraphosidae)_(12747967695).jpg)
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| Hemipepsis tamisieri with its prey, a baboon spider (Theraphosidae). | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Pompilidae |
| Genus: | Hemipepsis |
| Species: | H. tamisieri
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| Binomial name | |
| Hemipepsis tamisieri | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Distribution
editThis wasp has been recorded from Uganda, Ethiopia, Angola, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, but is probably widespread in Africa south of the Sahara.[2]
Biology
editThe adults feed on the nectar of various flowers, many of which are specialised to be pollinated by this species and its cogeners.[3] The females hunt on the ground for spiders of the family Theraphosidae[4] and rain spiders of the genus Palystes which are paralysed with the female's sting to provide a food for the wasp's larva.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b "Hemipepsis tamisieri (Guerin, 1848)". GBIF.org. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ "Taxonomy for Hemipepsis tamisieri (Guérin, 1848)". insectoid.org. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ Shuttleworth, Adam; Johnson, Steven D. (2012). "The Hemipepsis wasp-pollination system in South Africa: a comparative analysis of trait convergence in a highly specialized plant guild". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 168 (3): 278–279. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2012.01216.x.
- ^ Gess, Sarah K.; Gess, Fredereich W. (2014). "Wasps and Bees in Southern Africa" (PDF). SANBI Biodiversity Series. 24.
- ^ "Hemipepsis tamisieri Guérin". Waspweb. Iziko Museums of South Africa. Retrieved 2016-12-12.