Euplectrus wasp larvae prey on inchworm caterpillar

 

As always, click the photo to enlarge

This weekend was the 17th annual Midwest Native Plant Conference near Dayton, Ohio, and it was a bang-up event as always. If you like plants and natural history, you should attend. It does fill up quickly, and the limit of around 200 attendees was reached in 12 hours after opening this year.

In addition to speakers, workshops, and numerous vendors, we provide plenty of field trip opportunities, including nocturnal prowls on the grounds of the Bergamo Center, which is rich in native flora and all manner of wildlife. Last night, we found this inchworm moth caterpillar (species unknown) that had been parasitized by a wasp in the genus Euplectrus. The female wasp lays eggs on the victim, from which the larvae soon hatch. She also injects a venom into the host which stops their growth but allows the caterpillar to remain active and feed. The larvae, which resemble little greenish easter eggs, feed externally, tapping into the soft larvae and extracting its hemolymph. A bad fate for the cat, which ultimately succumbs to the wasp larvae, but an amazing example of parasitoid predation.