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Parasitic Hymenopterans, SilkwormsTags
food chainMy Bug
Hello – I do know my bug is a caterpillar of some sort but what I want to know is what is happening to this creature. I live in south east Arizona and the caterpillar is common here but I have never seen one with the white “larvae” attached to it. It is alive and was perched on a mesquite tree branch when we found it. Do you have any ideas? Thanks you…
Jeannie
Hi Jeannie
Your Juno Buckmoth Caterpillar, Hemileuca juno, which we matched on BugGuide, has been parasitized by a tiny Braconid Wasp that laid her eggs in the caterpillar. The young wasps fed on the caterpillar and then pupated outside. Sadly, the caterpillar will die.
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