Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-03-05
THE TEXAN rARANTulA
""lect OF Terror to All Save Its p..n.
~ Enemy, the Wash.

"A" oDleet OF Terror to All Save Its n..n-
~ Enemy, the Wasp.
Apropos to brief reference N tha
insect reported TO be the deadly enemy
OF the huge spider called the tarantnla
Or. Horn, Philadelphia's distinguished
ehtomologist sends us the fol owing.
IN The not too fertile parts of the
region from Texas to California livaa i.
large spider known to the inhabitants
as Inc tarantula and TO naturalists az
mygale hentzil. Its body is two inches
or more In length, clothed with rusty.
brown hair, the legs long, and when
extended covering an oval of forr a.,
i1ve inches. As may be imagined tho
mygale is not handsome insect. and
whlle 1t Is looked upon with terror nv
most people, no one cares to handle #
unless quite certain it is dead.
I'm place OF the web which usua1,y
forms the house of spiders the myeale
e&caVates burrow in the loose soil.
from which 1t wanders in search of its
prey. consisting principally of men,
Ders OF the grasshopper family or
cicades. The jaws are large and pow
erful, armed with long, stout fanes.
with which they can pierce and kill
their prey. One full meal will at
times supply their needs for several
weeks. In fact, during the moulting
period they remain torpid and take no
food
During its growth the mygale makes
an unknown number of mouths, that il
it sheds it's outer coat when that has
become uncomfortably close fitting, in
the same manner as the common crab
OF our coast. At these times members
lost from the body by accidents are
partially replaced; if leg is lost the
iirst moult produces perfectly formed
but short leg, subsequent mouths in
creasing the size OF the leg.
while the nygale is dread to most
forms Of insect life, there is one of
which it in turn stands in mortal ter
ror Abundant in the same regions il
large wasp, with bluish-green BODY
and golden-red wings. The BODY is
about two inches long, the spread OF
wings nearly an inch greater. These
wasps (pepsis formosa) fly uneasily
about in search of food for themselves
until they discover tarantula, when
more definite course of action is as
sumed. The flight of the wasp is now
in circles around it's prey, gradually
approaching it, the mygale, meanwhile
in terror, showing fight, standing semi
erect on the two hinder pair of legs. A
favorable opportunity presenting, the
wasp stings the spider and renews the
circle flight, repeating the sting until
the spider becomes completely para
lyzed. When the wasp is assured of the
helplessness of the spider it seizes him
and drags him to a previously prepared
nest. The eggs of the wasp are ther
deposited and the spider covered up
| The eggs soon hatch. the spider is
pears to repeat the actions of its parent
by the sting of the wasp the spider
is not killed, simply paralyzed, SO thai
| during the time it is being fed upon il
retains vitality. furnishing living food
to the newly matched larvae, which, by
a curious instinct, feed first on those
parts of the spider not essential to the
maintaining of the little vitality re-
naming.
"Our common mud-wasp. chlaybion,
|
has similar habits. Its nests, made Of
elastic mud, are familiar to most peo-
pie, as they are found abundantly il
sheltered places about barns and other
outhouses. These, when opened, will
be found filled with spiders, in the help
less condition already mentioned
among them larvae and some partly
eaten spiders. '-fhitadelptia ledger