''Ceropales bipunctata'' , the Two-Speckled Cuckoo Spider Wasp, is a species of diurnal, kleptoparasitic spider wasp in the family Pompilidae. It is an obligate kleptoparasite, meaning that it must rely on the captured provisions of other spider wasps and cannot capture its own. It is found on the Atlantic Coast of North America, north to New Brunswick, Canada. It feeds on nectar primarily from goldenrods (especially Canada goldenrod), and also other common nectaring plants. It is known to lay an egg on the prey of other

pompilid Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary (with the exception of some group-ne ...

s, including the two species '' Anoplius cleora'' and '' Anoplius aethiops''. Eggs are laid in the

book lung A book lung is a type of respiration organ used for atmospheric gas exchange that is present in many arachnids, such as scorpions and spiders. Each of these organs is located inside an open ventral abdominal, air-filled cavity (atrium) and conn ...

of the spider. These wasps also sometimes lay an egg on prey from spider-hunting wasps in the family

Sphecidae The Sphecidae are a cosmopolitan family of wasps of the suborder Apocrita that includes sand wasps, mud daubers, and other thread-waisted wasps. The name Sphecidae was formerly given to a much larger grouping of wasps. This was found to be p ...

Identification

This species is usually characterized by the one cream colored dot on either side of the

thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...

. ''Ceropales bipunctata tibialis'' This subspecies is more black, though it still has the distinctive cream colored spot. The main difference is in that the two pairs of short legs are all red/pink, and the whole femur on the long pairs are red. ''Ceropales bipunctata bipunctata'' Most pictures of the species as a whole are of this subspecies, and the specimen in the photos is this subspecies as well.

Life cycle

Eggs

As an obligate kleptoparasite, this species finds a spider wasp, usually '' Anoplius aethiops'' or '' Anoplius cleora'', dragging its prey to its burrow, for provisioning a larva. It then lays an egg in the book lung. The original captor continues dragging it to its burrow, where the captor lays an egg on the prey. The larva of the ''Ceropales'' wasp develops faster than the other larva, or the larva of the ''Ceropales'' wasp eats the other larva as well. The wasps use prey of spider-hunting sphecid wasps, such as a ''

Sceliphron caementarium ''Sceliphron caementarium'', also known as the yellow-legged mud-dauber wasp, black-and-yellow mud dauber (within the US), or black-waisted mud-dauber (outside of the US), is a species of sphecid wasp. There are some 30 other species of ''Scelip ...

'', as well.

Larva

The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

eats the non vital organs, avoiding the vital ones. The larva then consumes the vital organs in the last instar.

Pupa

The larva then makes a

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

, and will emerge later in the year.

Geographic distribution

This species can be found in the Atlantic Coast of North America, up to New Brunswick, Canada. This population extends West as far as Ohio. There is a separate population in the Midwest, in Missouri and Arkansas. It is unknown whether there are continuous populations linking those on the Atlantic Coast and the Midwest. The ''tibialis'' subspecies is found only in North and South Carolina. The other populations are made up of only the subspecies ''C. b. bipunctata''. It has declined significantly in parts of its range, more specifically in Ontario. Until recently, it was thought to be declining in New Brunswick as well, however new research has found it to be common in certain dune systems there. it is an under collected species, with scattered specimens. The species is not protected.

Habitat

''C. bipunctata'' inhabits dune systems, as well as open fields. The species appears to inhabit open areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q49623239 Insects described in 1824 Ceropalinae