Web architecture alteration of the orb web weaving spider Metellina merianae (Araneae, Tetragnathidae) induced by the parasitoid Megaetaira madida (Ichneumonidae, Polysphincta group)

Abstract

The polysphinctine wasp Megaetaira madida (Haliday, 1838) is a koinobiont ecto-parasitoid of spiders of the genus Metellina. Under the influence of the parasitoid’s final instar larva, the spider host M. merianae (Scopoli, 1763) built a three-dimensional web architecture, which differed considerably from the capturing orb web. The alteration of spider web behaviour induced by a parasitoid larva in this host-parasitoid pair is described for the first time.

Keywords

• behavioural manipulation
• host-parasitoid interaction
• spider web
• wasp