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Animalia >Arthropoda >Insecta >Hymenoptera >Ichneumonidae >Zatypota >

Digital video image showing the behavior of Zatypota albicoxa (Ichneumonidae) wandering under the host web to search for the vertical thread by her antennae.
The web of host spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum (Theridiidae), is composed of an irregular three dimensional web with numerous vertical gumfoot threads.
Z. albicoxa utilized the vertical thread to entice the spider. When wandering under the web among the vertical threads with sticky masses, she walked carefully and slowly with her antennae stretched transversely, possibly to locate vertical threads. During this sequence, she quickly withdrew her antennae when touching the thread. Detecting one of the vertical threads, she raised her left fore leg, entangled with gumfoot and stepped back as if pulling the thread.

Below is the abstract from the article containing this video:

Lying on the dorsum: unique host-attacking behaviour of Zatypota albicoxa (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae)

Keizo Takasuka, Rikio Matsumoto Journal of Ethology (in press) doi:10.1007/s10164-010-0263-8

A unique host enticing behaviour was observed for the first time in Zatypota albicoxa (Walker), which parasitizes the house spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum (Koch), weaving irregular, three-dimensional webs. One female wasp lay on her dorsum on the floor and grasped one of the vertical gumfoot threads with her legs (reclining-style). The wasp picked the thread with her legs, feigning a captured and struggling prey. Although this behaviour seems to be a variety of the ambush style, it is quite unique in that the wasp wandered under the web, touched the gumfoot directly and lay on her dorsum on the floor. These behaviours are similar to that of a wandering and captured wingless insect, an adaptation to the host being hidden in a complex web. As the wasp touched the gumfoot directly, this suggests the possession of behavioural or morphological mechanisms for avoiding entrapment by the sticky masses on the web.

(Data No.momo100416za03a)

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