die Pompttiden-Gattung Pepsis. 473 



Die neuesten Angaben stammen von Henry Mc Cook in seinem 

 interessanten Werke: American Spiders and their spinning work (1890) 

 vol. II, pag. 384: 



„Another example of wasps fehat störe single spiders is the laTge 

 and beautiful Pepsis formosa Say (Pompilus), an inhabitant of the 

 Soathwestern States of Nortb America, where it is popularly known as the 

 „tarantula killer". This naine is given because of its habit of storing 

 its burrow with that most formidable of our spider fauna, Eurypelma 

 hentZÜ. 1 have seen this insect in Texas hawking for its gigantic victim, 

 which showod by its hurried and excited action füll consciousness of its 

 peril as it fled with eager and trembling speed before its pnrsuer. The 

 late Professor Buckley, of Austin, describes an enconnler on Texas 

 soil between these two formidable creatures. 



The tarantula killer is a bustling, unquiet insect, always in motion, 

 ßying now here, now there, and when running on the ground its wings 

 are in a state of constant Vibration. Should it discover a tarantula it 

 begins instantly to fly in circles in the air around its victim. The spider, 

 as if knowing its fate, trembles violently, standing up and making a 

 show of fight, but the resistance is feeble and of no avail. The spider's 

 foe soon discovers a favorable moraent and darts upon the tarantula, 

 vvhom it vvounds with its sting, and again commenoes flying in circles. 

 The injured spider is thrown into a tremor, and often becomes at onee 

 paralyzed, though the influence of a second, and even a third, wountl 

 is sometimes necessary. Sooner or later the spider becomes powerless 

 when the victor approaches, carefully feeling its way to see if its work 

 has been effectually done. It then begins to drag the tarantula into a 

 hole which it has previously dug in the ground, wherein it is covered 

 up after the deposition of an egg. The courage and address thus shown 

 in assault upon so formidable an animal, and the strength and perseverance 

 required for its subsequent entombnient, are of the highest order and 

 surely evoke admiration, however much we may pity a foc doomed to 

 so hard a fate as to be paralyzed, bnried alive, and afterward devoured 

 by a greedy grub." 



(Ein anderes Beispiel von Wespen, welche bestimmte Spinnen sammeln, 

 ist die grosse und schöne Pepsis formosa Say (Pompilus), ein Be- 

 wohner der südwestlichen Staaten von Nordamerika, die daselbst all- 

 gemein unter dem Namen „Taranteltöter" bekannt ist. Diesen Namen 

 hat sie deshalb erhalten, weil sie ihren Bau mit jenen sehr furchtbaren 

 Vertretern unserer Spinnenfauna füllt, nämlich der Eurypelma IientzU. 

 Ich habe das Insekt in Texas auf ihr riesiges Opfer Jagd machen 

 sehen, welches durch seine eilige und aufgeregte Handlung sich voll- 

 kommen der Gefahr bewusst zeigte, da er mit ungestümer und zitternder 

 Eile vor seinem Verfolger floh. Der verstorbene Professor Buckley. 



