Spider and other bug ID please

[Lachdanan]

Hi All,,

A friend send me this pic of a spider that appears to be lunch to some other insect. The picture was taken at Boulders Beach, Simons Town

Could someone please identify both the spider and the bug?

[Francois]

I don't know the ID, but as far as I know it's one of those wasps that paralize the spider and then lays its eggs inside it. When the larvae hatches the spider is still alive and fresh for them to eat, but it can't move. The spider is then eaten alive. It's quite gross, I know. As for the spider I think it's a rain spider, but wait for someone more knowledgeable about insects and spiders to answer.

[Jandre69]

Jip it looks like a common rain spider. And yes its a spider hunting wasp in the family pompilidae. Francois has it correct they lay an egg inside the paralized spider . . . and usually burry it in a hole or something untill the little wasp larvae begins to feast on fresh spider.

[poobsta]

The spider looks to be one of the baboon spiders although i am not sure as to which species.

[Kev]

Definitely a rain spider there.

[Zane02]

Agreed. 100% Palystes sp.

[Bernice]

Jandre69 has it in one... Pompilidae wasp and Palystes rain spider... I have seen this twice before, the first time I stumbled upon the wasp busy digging a hole with the paralyzed spider lying next too it, kept stopping its work to check that the spider was still there The second time I almost caused a car accident... My self and some colleagues were on a field trip and I saw a wasp dragging a BIG spider across the road... I yelled because I thought we were going to run it over! scared the driver out of her skin but she stopped for me so we could look (gotta love good friends who tolerate our obsessions) he was a feisty wasp! and person that came too close got charged! you could just hear the voice over: "you shant have it! tricksy humans! my spider! my precioussssssssss"