The geological record and phylogeny of spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae): A revision of fossil species and their phylogenetic placement

Discovery of a new extinct spider wasp (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae) from Eocene Rovno amber

Paleogenia waichertae Loktionov, Lelej et Perkovsky, sp. nov. is a new species of extinct spider wasps. This new species is a second record of Pompilidae from Rovno amber, third yet known species of the extinct genus Paleogenia Waichert et Pitts, 2016 and 26th known extinct species of spider wasps. Sex of the holotype of the species Paleogenia indomini Colombo et Waichert, 2023 is clarified (male not female). A key to males of Paleogenia is provided.

A Short Review of the Venoms and Toxins of Spider Wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)

Parasitoid wasps represent the plurality of venomous animals, but have received extremely little research in proportion to this taxonomic diversity. The lion’s share of investigation into insect venoms has focused on eusocial hymenopterans, but even this small sampling shows great promise for the development of new active substances. The family Pompilidae is known as the spider wasps because of their reproductive habits which include hunting for spiders, delivering a paralyzing sting, and entombing them in burrows with one of the wasp’s eggs to serve as food for the developing larva. The largest members of this family, especially the tarantula hawks of the genus Pepsis, have attained notoriety for their large size, dramatic coloration, long-term paralysis of their prey, and incredibly painful defensive stings. In this paper we review the existing research regarding the composition and function of pompilid venoms, discuss parallels from other venom literatures, identify possible avenues for the adaptation of pompilid toxins towards human purposes, and future directions of inquiry for the field.