An alternative host of Hymenoepimecis japi (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) on a novel family (Araneae,Araneidae), with notes on behavioral manipulations

Abstract

Polysphinctine wasps of the genus Hymenoepimecis act as koinobiont ectoparasitoids of orb-weaver spiders. Hymenoepimecis japi is already known to parasitize the tetragnathid spider Leucauge roseosignata. Here, we record the dome-weaver spider Mecynogea biggiba as a second host for H. japi, as well as the behavioral manipulations induced by the parasitoid. We found that H. japi alters the web construction behavior of M. biggiba, resulting in a complex three-dimensional cocoon web. This modified web differs from that of L. roseosignata, which is a simpler structure composed of a few support threads. Our finds add to the literature the first case of a Hymenoepimecis species parasitizing spiders of two distinct families.