Monday, February 20, 2017

A caterpillar green around the gills, part three

The wasp pupae did not look particularly remarkable, but inside a rapid transformation was taking place. In just one week, the wasps emerged as adults.

The newly emerged wasps gathering on the lid of the vial.
They were, of course, still just as small. Nevertheless, looking closely, it is possible to see that there were two types of wasps. While some of the wasps had typical antennae, the antennae of the other wasps were branched, giving the appearance of delicate antlers.

A view of the wasps from underneath.
The two types of wasps did not mean that the caterpillar host had been parasitized by two different species, however. The two types were males and females. As in some other insects (for example this moth and this mosquito), the more elaborate antennae belonged to the males.

The wasps likely belong to the tribe Eulophini in the family Eulophidae.
Finally, it was time for the wasps to go off in search of their next hosts -- though the one pictured above spent some time inspecting my hand before disappearing into the air.