More parasitoids!

Hi all! I wanted to share with you the parasitoids we have reared up to this point. Many of the caterpillars we have collected are still developing, and that may mean parasitoids are developing too and just haven't revealed themselves yet! Looks like most parasitized caterpillars we collected were parasitized by Tachinids (flies), and perhaps one by a Brachonid (wasp). These pictures allow you to see multiple stages of a tachinids life cycle from different caterpillar species. In the pictures to follow, I posted a hesperiid with tachinid eggs, a tachinid pupa, an adult tachinid and some brachonid parasitoids. Enjoy!

 

Above: Telemiades antiope parasitized by tachinid eggs

 

Crambid caterpillar exoskeleton next to a Tachinid pupa.

 

Adult Tachinid (undetermined species). Note: this adult emerged from pupae that were filmed in video for Lab Note #1.

 

Brachonid pupae (undetermined species) next to a Crambid caterpillar.