Arachnologische Mitteilungen 54

Spider parasitoids of the genus Polysphincta from Central Europe 29 diameter and 100 mm height. Laboratory reared Drosophi- la flies or houseflies ( Musca domestica Linnaeus, 1758) were provided every three days until the spiders were killed by the parasitoid final stage larvae. The web building behaviour of manipulated A. angulatus and A. sturmi was observed until the larvae killed and consumed the spiders and then pupa­ ted. Photographs were taken using an EOS 500D single-lens reflex digital camera (Canon Inc.). Microscopic observations of spider silk were performed in various parts of the cocoon web of A. angulatus (the wall of the silk chamber, threads in the chamber surroundings and the dragline thread). Speci­ mens are deposited in the collection of S.K. (Department of Agroecology and Biometeorology, CULS, Czech Republic) and Kamil Holý (Department of Entomology, Crop Research Institute, Czech Republic). Results Field observation The orb web weaving spider A. angulatus is a relatively rare arboreal species. During our excursions, we found only one specimen, and it was parasitized by a polysphinctine larva. After rearing of the parasitoid larva to adulthood in the la­ boratory, the parasitoid was identified as P. longa .The wasp is recorded for the first time in Slovakia. Other araneid hosts, Araniella spp., A. quadratus , A. sturmi were observed in higher numbers at several localities beyond that of A. angulatus , but the presence of parasitoid larvae was sporadic (N = 8). All eight larvae on these araneid spiders were P. tuberosa . Reared material Czech Republic. Šumava Mts: Volvary province, peat bog Soumarské rašelinište, larva attached to juvenile Arane- us quadratus , leg. 11.V.2016, adult emerged – no data (one female P. tuberosa ), leg. Dolejš P., det. Korenko S.; Lužické hory Mts: Chřibská province, Marschnerova louka locality, in a forest ecotone, larva attached to juvenile Araniella sp., leg. 18.VI.2015, adult emerged 7.VII.2015 (one female P. tuberosa ), leg. Dolejš P., det. Korenko S.; province of Klad­ no, in a forest ecotone in the Hradečno locality, larvae at­ tached to juvenile Araniella sp., leg. 3.X.2014, adults emerged 12.XII.2014–22.I.2015 (two females, one male P. tuberosa ), leg. Korenko S., det. Korenko S. Slovakia. Province of Zvolen, Kováčová, beech fo­ rest, larva attached to A. angulatus , leg. Černecká Ľ. & Ko­ renko S., 12.IX.2016, cocooned 25.X.2016, adult emerged 5.XI.2016 (1 male, P. longa ), det. Korenko S., rev. Holý K.; province of Trenčín, locality Veľké lúky close to Motešice, larva attached to Araniella sp., leg. Štefánik M. & Korenko S., 13.IX.2016, cocooned 5. and 25.XI.2016, adult emerged 19.XI. and 9.XII.2016 (2 females, P. tuberosa ), det. Korenko S.; province of Liptovský Mikuláš, Východná locality, larva attached to Araneus sturmi , leg. Šestáková A., 16.IX.2016, cocooned 25.X.2016, adult emerged 5.XI.2016 (1 female, P. tuberosa ), det. Korenko S., rev. Holý K. Laboratory observation The parasitized Araneus angulatus (body length 8 mm) was placed in an experimental arena containing a Y-shaped twig (20th September 2016).The larva sat transversely at the an­ terior apex of the spider’s opisthosoma just above the pedicel (Fig. 1). The spider built only one strong silk line between the ends of the arms of the Y-shaped twig at an early stage. Most of the time, the spider sat on the bark at the end of a twig. Only one orb web was built (11th October 2016), when the spider captured prey and fed. The spider’s capture web was 42 cm wide with 16 radial lines and 25/24 spi­ ral lines in the upper/lower part of the orb. The web was kept by the spider for two days, then the fly was provided as prey and the web was damaged by the spider. After feeding, the spider did not build any other orb web. After two weeks (24th October 2016), the larva doubled its body length to Fig. 1: Araneus angulatus parasitized by P. longa . The larva is located trans- versely at the anterior apex of the spider’s opisthosoma just above the pedicel. Scale: 2 mm Fig. 2: Cocoon web built by the A. angulatus under the influence of P. longa larva. Scale: 5 mm