What is it about?
We treat the systematics of three Australian genera of spider wasps. We also discuss their morphological modifications, which evolved parallel with some spider wasps of other subfamilies preying on trapdoor spiders.
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Why is it important?
We describe three genera (two of which are new) and four species (three of which are new). We also elucidate the morphological modifications of the species and presume that these modifications are associated with preying on trapdoor spiders, based on their parallel evolution with other spider wasps known to be parasitoids of trapdoor spiders.
Perspectives
Morphological convergent evolution for preying on trapdoor spiders is one of the most spectacular phenomena in spider wasps. In this paper, we elucidate part of this evolution through the description of the Australian genera and species with the greatly modified head and prothorax.
Akira Shimizu
Tokyo Metropolitan University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Systematics and convergent evolution in three Australian genera of Pepsinae spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), Austral Entomology, March 2021, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/aen.12530.
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