''Ceropales maculata'' is a

kleptoparasitic Kleptoparasitism (etymologically, parasitism by theft) is a form of feeding in which one animal deliberately takes food from another. The strategy is evolutionarily stable when stealing is less costly than direct feeding, which can mean when f ...

spider wasp 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 ...

found in the holoarctic region.

Biology

''Ceropales maculata'' is an uncommon spider wasp. This species intercepts other spider wasps engaged in prey transport and lays its eggs in the book lung of the captured spider. ''C. maculata'' then allows the other spider wasp to return to its nest, where the ''C. maculata'' larvae hatch, eat the host egg, and consume the spider. Spider wasps kleptoparasitised by ''C. maculata'' include species in the genera ''

Priocnemis ''Priocnemis'' is a genus of pepsine spider wasp 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 spe ...

'', '' Pompilus'', ''

Agenioideus ''Agenioideus'' is a genus of spider wasps from the subfamily Pompilinae The Pompilinae are a subfamily of the spider wasp family, Pompilidae Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompi ...

'', ''

Arachnospila ''Arachnospila'' is a predominantly Holarctic genus of spider wasps, with limited representation in montane habitats in Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, ...

'', ''

Anoplius ''Anoplius'' is a genus of spider wasps in the family Pompilidae, called the blue-black spider wasps. The genus includes the following species: *'' Anoplius aethiops'' (Cresson 1865) *'' Anoplius americanus'' (Beauvois) *'' Anoplius amethystinu ...

'', ''

Episyron ''Episyron'' is a genus of wasps in the family Pompilidae which prey on spiders. Nine species are found in Europe. Features ''Episyron'' wasps are medium to large in size. The head and thorax have long, dark clustered hair with spotted abdomen ...

'' and ''

Auplopus ''Auplopus'' is a large genus of spider wasps belonging to the subfamily Pepsinae of the spider wasp family Pompilidae Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosm ...

'' in Britain and Europe. Other species of non-

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 ...

solitary wasp which use spiders as prey, for example the

sphecid The Sphecidae are a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan family of wasps of the suborder Apocrita that includes Ammophilinae, sand wasps, mud daubers, and other thread-waisted wasps. The name Sphecidae was formerly given to a much larger g ...

'' Miscophus,'' may also be parasitised by ''C. maculata''. This species is

univoltine Voltinism is a term used in biology to indicate the number of broods or generations of an organism in a year. The term is most often applied to insects, and is particularly in use in sericulture, where silkworm varieties vary in their voltinism. ...

; adults are seen from May to September.

Habitat

''C. maculata'' can be found in sandy areas such as heathlands, coastal dunes and sand pits.

References

Hymenoptera of Europe Ceropalinae Insects described in 1775 Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius {{apocrita-stub