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food chain, WTB Down Under?Wasp?
Could you please id this insect for me. We took this picture on Christmas Day in Sydney.It was dragging away this huntsman spider(about 10cm across) and was very aggressive ,it chased away a bird that showed an interest in it’s prey,regards
Jamie
Hi Jamie,
This brightly colored Spider Wasp is Cryptocheilus bicolor and the Huntsman Spider is its typical prey. The adult wasp does not eat the spider. The spider provides food for the larvae. The spider is not dead, but paralyzed by the sting of the female wasp. She buries the spider, lays an egg, and the young larval wasp has a supply of fresh meat as it devours the living, paralyzed Huntsman Spider.
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