Episyron gallicum | |
---|---|
Scientific classification
![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Pompilidae |
Genus: | Episyron |
Species: | E. gallicum
|
Binomial name | |
Episyron gallicum | |
Synonyms | |
|
Episyron gallicum is a spider-eating wasp which, as its name suggests, has a distribution centred on France.
It hunts terrestrial spiders which hunt their prey such as Wolf spiders as opposed to web weaving spiders. The spider is paralysed with a sting and then the helpless spider is sealed in a tunnel and the wasp lays an egg on it. The grub dines on the living spider when it hatches. [2]
Open terrain with loose sandy soil. [3]
Southern Europe but has recently expanded its range into Poland, Germany and the United Kingdom. [3]