Cesonia sp.

Pape, Robert B., 2024, Biology and ecology of a deep cave nesting spider wasp, Ageniella evansi Townes, (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), in Arizona, Journal of Natural History 58 (29 - 32), pp. 963-1054 : 998

Cesonia sp. Simon, 1893

The genus Cesonia contains 31 species distributed primarily in the West Indies, Central America, Mexico, the United States (10 species), southern Canada and a single species in the Mediterranean region ( Murphy 2007; World Spider Catalogue [WSC] 2022). Three Cesonia species are recorded in the project region: C. classica Chamberlin, 1924 , C. gertschi Platnick and Shadab, 1980 and C. ubicki Platnick and Shadab, 1980 ( Platnick and Shadab 1980). The single Cesonia host observed most closely resembles C. gertschi ( Figure 22 ). Most records of C. gertschi are from middle elevations among oaks in grassland habitat. There are two records associated with riparian habitat and two from lower elevations. One of the latter is from Sabino Canyon (34 km north-west of the Park), which is in the same Arizona Upland subdivision Sonoran Desert habitat found in the Park.

Figures

Figure 22. Single observed Cesonia sp. Simon, 1893 gnaphosid host taken by Ageniella evansi Townes, 1957 on 20 March 1994. Scale bar: 5 mm.