Larvae I.D Please (1 Viewer)

J

JHDraytonbassettpits

Well-known member

• Sep 28, 2013

• #1

All photo's taken today North Warks pic 1 larvae going over grill in brickwork pic 2 taken through hide glass much larger then pic 1. pic 3 a large white larvae seems to be surrounded by small parasitiod wasps does anyone know what the yellow substance is.

Regards, John

 

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Tri-Counties Birder

AKA The Portland Naturalist

• Sep 28, 2013

• #2

The yellow 'substance' in the third picture are the cocoons from which the wasps have emerged.

 

honeym

Well-known member

• Sep 29, 2013

• #3

Hi John

Pic #1 is the larva of a Sawfly. Too many legs for it to be a Lep larva.
Pic #2 looks to be Lep but that´s as far as I can go.

Martin

 

J

JHDraytonbassettpits

Well-known member

• Sep 29, 2013

• #4

Parasitic Wasp

Many thanks Sean and Martin, 2 of these Pimpla hypochondria were in the hide window, reading on the subject I thought these lay eggs in the larvae using there ovipositor, the eggs hatch then eat away the larvea until it dies.
So the yellow cocoons I assume would be another species of parasitic Wasp.


Regards, John

 

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Tri-Counties Birder

AKA The Portland Naturalist

• Sep 29, 2013

• #5

JHDraytonbassettpits said:

Many thanks Sean and Martin, 2 of these Pimpla hypochondria were in the hide window, reading on the subject I thought these lay eggs in the larvae using there ovipositor, the eggs hatch then eat away the larvea until it dies.
So the yellow cocoons I assume would be another species of parasitic Wasp.


Regards, John

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I don't quite understand your reasoning for there to be another parasite involved. The wasp larvae emerge from the caterpillar then pupate.

 

honeym

Well-known member

• Sep 29, 2013

• #6

I think there´s a misunderstanding here.

Pimpla hypochondria is a parasitic wasp, one that John has identified from his photo, and one that was in the same hide.

The ones emerging from the cocoons that he photographed are a different, unidentified parasitic wasp (i.e another but not the Pimpla sp).

Martin.

 

Last edited: Sep 29, 2013

Tri-Counties Birder

AKA The Portland Naturalist

• Sep 29, 2013

• #7

Okay. Sorry bout that!

 

J

JHDraytonbassettpits

Well-known member

• Sep 29, 2013

• #8

Thanks again Sean and Martin, I did a search on google about the life cycle of Pimpla Hypochondria and nothing much came up, there was far more information about the chemical that is injected into the larvae by the parasitic wasp that stops the wasps eggs from being attacked by the larval immune system.
I understand the cycle now from Sean's comments and that only 1 species of Parasitic wasp is involved.
1 Pimpla Hypochondria lays eggs in the host larvae.
2 These parasitic Wasp larvae then eat the moth or Butterfly larvae, they emerge as larvae and not as adults, together they weave a protective cocoon the Yellow substance that looks like loft insulation, they then after a period they emerge as small adult parasitic wasps, picture 3 above showing a small version, then they grow larger (maybe by shedding therer skins).

Regards, John

 

Last edited: Sep 29, 2013

W

Welsh Peregrine

Well-known member

• Sep 30, 2013

• #9

3 looks like Large White, which makes the wasp for that what used to be called Apanteles glomeratus, but has since changed it's name to something else!

 

J

JHDraytonbassettpits

Well-known member

• Sep 30, 2013

• #10

Welsh Peregrine said:

3 looks like Large White, which makes the wasp for that what used to be called Apanteles glomeratus, but has since changed it's name to something else!

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Thanks Welsh Peregrine. John