Spider Wasp with Garden Spider

Bugman,
Nice and fun site. Here’s a spider wasp of some sort dragging what seems to be an orb weaver to its lair. Photgraphed in central Texas (about 70 miles east of Austin) on 9/6/2005. Any idea of the genus and species? Thanks for you reply. Absolutely fine if you post. Charles Vannoy, my father-in-law, took the picture.
Glenn Davis

Hi Glenn,
We are pretty certain this is an Anoplius Spider Wasp, but the puzzling thing is they prey on Wolf Spiders and Funnel Web Spiders. Yours is preying on a Garden Spider in the genus Argiope. We will get a second opinion when Eric Eaton returns. Here is what Eric has to say: ” The spider wasp with the garden spider is indeed an Anoplius. Good grief, I didn’t realize they could take prey that big!”

Correction:  September 2, 2013
Thanks to a correction from Nick in a comment, we can link to BugGuide regarding Poecilopompilus algidus.

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