T. Volkova et al., Spider prey of two mud dauber wasps (Hymenoptera : Sphecidae) nesting in Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, J ENTOM SCI, 34(3), 1999, pp. 322-327
Spiders captured by Trypoxylon politum (Say) and Sceliphron caementarium (D
rury) in Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp over two nesting seasons represented 5
families and 22 genera (n = 5191). A strong bias for female spiders exists
in both species (89.5% of all prey), with immature females comprising nearl
y half of these (42.6%), Comparison of contemporaneously taken prey at the
same site by T. politum using typical mud organ pipe nests or trap nests re
vealed that the same araneid species of Neoscona and Eustala predominated.
However, spiders provisioned in trap nests were more diverse taxonomicallyl
including the first records of Mimetidae and Salticidae as prey for this w
asp, as well as a variety of other araneid genera. Seasonal changes in prey
composition revealed no particular patterns or correlations with nest type
. Sceliphron caementarium displayed a strong preference for araneid spiders
, with N. arabesca comprising 53.8% of the total; Thomisidae comprised 10.5
%, nearly all Misumenops oblongus.