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Category Archives: Parasitic Hymenopterans   rss

American Pelecinid

Some sort of Dragonfly Species?
June 10, 2010
I was outside during mid afternoon doing some yard work, and out of the corner of my eye, this strange bug caught my attention. At first glance, it looked like a dragon fly, but it looked to odd to be one. It’s body appears to be much longer than a dragon fly. The body is also broken up into 5 segments and has what appears to be some type of stinger at the end of it’s body. It also kept arching it’s body up and down and you can see what I mean in the pictures. It was all black and had no distinctive markings or other colors. I also held it to get another good picture and from the head to the end of it’s tail was about 3 inches.
Buggy For Bugs
Detroit Michigan

pelecinid michigan 300x184 American Pelecinid

American Pelecinid

Dear Buggy,
This is an American Pelecinid, the only member of its family in the continental U.S.  The American Pelecinid is a parasitoid wasp that preys upon the grubs of June Beetles that live underground.  Your specimen is a female and the female American Pelecinid uses her long jointed abdomen to lay an egg underground on or near a burrowing white beetle grub.  When the egg hatches, the larval Pelecinid feeds upon the grub.  We are presetting your letter to post live to our site between June 15 and June 23 as we will be in Ohio visiting mom for a week, and we want our readership to continue to get live daily postings in our absence.

pelecinid michigan 2 300x268 American Pelecinid

American Pelecinid

Thank you for the fast response! It was most certainly an interesting bug and never have I seen that before. I was also surprised to learn that the American Pelecinid is part of the wasp family.

Posted 21 June 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Giant Ichneumon

Dragonfly? Wasp? Hybrid?
June 8, 2010
I have lived in Vermont all my life but have never seen this before . Can you identify what this is?
Dave D.
Vermont

megarhyssa dave 300x197 Giant Ichneumon

Giant Ichneumon

Hi Dave,
This is a Giant Ichneumon in the genus Megarhyssa, and she is a female.  The long stingerlike ovipositor is used by the female to deposit her eggs deep inside wood that is infested with wood boring larvae of the Pigeon Horntail, the exclusive food for this parasitoid relative of wasps.

megarhyssa dave 2 261x300 Giant Ichneumon

Giant Ichneumon

Posted 09 June 2010 § Ichneumons ‡ Comments (0) °

Ensign Wasp

Cricket Like Bug, Moves/Is Jittery like a Wasp
June 1, 2010
Dear Bugperson(s),
My boyfriend and I are long-time visitors of the site, and just love to see what bugs our fellow site-mates are observing around the world.
We have seen this type of bug here at our NW Houston home many times. This picture was taken in May, 2010. Often, we have observed them trying to get inside at our windows; frequently we have rescued them from an inside window. They fly in a zooming type of way, are very fast both walking and flying, and flick their tails in a downward motion. They are relatively easy to catch if not too far overhead. They appear brushfooted, are always dark grey to black. We have never observed them eating, or even more than one at a time. We affectionately refer to them as “crickety-things.”
With Gratitude for all you do, Sam and Sean Curotto
Houston, TX, USA

ensign wasp sam 229x300 Ensign Wasp

Ensign Wasp

Dear Sam and Sean,
This is an Ensign Wasp and it will not harm you or your home.  Ensign Wasps are parasitic, and the young wasp larvae feed on the contents of the oothica, or egg cases, of Cockroaches.  Anything that naturally assists in the control of cockroaches in the home should be considered beneficial.

Thank you so much Bugman!  This is the best news, and we have new-found respect for these little guys.  I liked them before, just because they were bugs.  Now, they’re heroes, too!    Sam

Posted 02 June 2010 § ‡ Comments (1) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Giant Ichneumon

giant ichneumon survived windshield
June 2, 2010
This hit my windshield very lightly, and stayed for the rest of my ride home. Sorry the pictures are through my windshield, but there was NO WAY I was getting out of my car with that bad boy (or girl, actually) creeping around! You had other pics but this seemed more close up & I thought you might like them. Found in the Raleigh, NC area, end of April. Enjoy your site!
Creeped out but still fasinated
Raleigh NC

ichneumon windshield 300x206 Giant Ichneumon

Giant Ichneumon

Dear Creeped out,
This is one interesting image of a Giant Ichneumon in the genus Megarhyssa.  We believe it is Megarhyssa macrurus, which is profiled on BugGuide.

I had my husband come out & flick it off my car before I’d get out, and I’m still thanking him for that! Glad you liked the pic well enough to post on your site (I’m somebody now lol), take care & keep up the good work.

Posted 02 June 2010 § Ichneumons ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Ichneumon

Unknown possible bee?
May 28, 2010
Hi bugman,
I found this bug in my kitchen on a wooded mountain in northern Maryland a few evenings ago. It has transparent folded wings that aren’t visible in the picture. It’s between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch long. Its patterns are very beautiful and have great contrast, and it has a small black eye surrounded by white on each side of its head as well as black and white stripes on a sort of yellowish body. I’ve never seen this bug before that I remember. I’m really not sure what it is. I’d appreciate any info. you could offer.
Thanks so much!
Steiv
Thurmont, MD

ichneumon steiv 300x204 Ichneumon

Ichneumon

Hi Steiv,
This is an Ichneumon Wasp, and we believe we have identified it as Messatoporus discoidalis on BugGuide, though Ichneumons are notoriously difficult to identify.  Ichneumons are parasitoid wasps, and according to BugGuide, depending upon the species, their prey includes:  “a great variety of hosts (mostly immature stages) is used, though most species attack only a few host types; some infest spiders and other non-insect arthropods.“  If our identification is correct, your Ichneumon is in the tribe Cryptini, and according to BugGuide:  “Cryptini search for hosts primarily among foliage (rather than in the soil or ground litter) and have larger average size.“

Posted 29 May 2010 § Ichneumons ‡ Comments (0) °

Giant Ichneumon

Long tailed bug
May 27, 2010
Yellow head and antenae, very long tail. WIngs (two) and rather clumsy. Exploring pansies in planter and will fall off.
M. Temple
New England – Medfield MA

megarhyssa atrata temple 191x300 Giant Ichneumon

Giant Ichneumon

Dear M. Temple,
Many people are shocked or frightened when they encounter a Giant Ichneumon, Megarhyssa atrata, for the first time.  The Giant Ichneumon is a parasitoid insect that preys upon the wood boring larvae of another non-stinging wasp relative, the Pigeon Horntail.  A female Giant Ichneumon, like the one in your photo, locates a wood boring Horntail larva and then drills into the stump or trunk with her five inch ovipositor.  Male Giant Ichneumons do not have an ovipositor.

Posted 27 May 2010 § Ichneumons ‡ Comments (0) °

Chalcid Wasp

chalcid wasp in my house
May 24, 2010
Hi, just discovered that this is a chalcid wasp and that they are beneficials, but don’t know how or why they are in the house and would like to see if anyone knows what type of chalcid this is, bc I guess that term is pretty broad. Would these guys get in the house from a parasitized house fly?
Thanks!
Tiffany
Wilmington, NC

chalcid tiffany 300x171 Chalcid Wasp

Chalcid Wasp

Hi Tiffany,
WE do not have the necessary skills to identify this Chalcid Wasp to the species level.  Most Chalcids parasitize insects in the orders Lepidoptera and Diptera, but some parasitize beetles.  According to BugGuide:  “All chalcidids are parasitic. Most attack pupae of Lepidoptera and Diptera, but some parasitize other Hymenoptera or beetles. Parasites of Lepidoptera usually attack young pupae, while those of Diptera attack mature larvae.“  We frequently receive letters regarding flies suddenly appearing in the home, and often a failure to remove garbage in a timely manner will cause maggots to proliferate.  An incident like that could give rise to the Chalcid sighting.

Posted 25 May 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Double Mystery: Possibly Underwing Caterpillar with Parasitic Fly Larvae

What insects are on this caterpillar?
April 27, 2010
I saw this caterpillar holding onto a cedar beam of the arbor above my deck. I’m curious if the insects piled up on this caterpillar are parasites or progeny. Could they be a symbiotic species??
Don
Austin, Texas, USA

underwing cat passengers don 300x199 Double Mystery: Possibly Underwing Caterpillar with Parasitic Fly Larvae

Underwing Caterpillar with Parasitic Fly Larvae

Dear Don,
This double mystery is one of the most unusual submissions we have ever received, but we have a couple of guesses and a theory.  The caterpillar looks like an Underwing Caterpillar in the genus Catocala, and they are well represented on BugGuide.  If not an Underwing Caterpillar, perhaps a related species like a Black Witch Caterpillar, also pictured on Bugguide. The hitch-hikers are definitely not progeny, and they are not acting like parasites, though parasites might be a possibility.  The passengers look like fly larvae to us, possibly Syrphid Fly Larvae, though the behavior is most unusual.  Might we fathom a crazy guess and suppose that the fly larvae are taking advantage of the mobility of the caterpillar to transport the larvae to a food source?  This behavior is known as phoresy, and it is common in the world of arthropods.  We would really love a professional opinion on this phenomenon.  We will contact Eric Eaton and our friends at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County for assistance.

underwing cat passengers 2 don 300x213 Double Mystery: Possibly Underwing Caterpillar with Parasitic Fly Larvae

Underwing Caterpillar with Parasitic Fly Larvae

Awesome.  I thank you very much for your obvious passion.
My brother and I have been inquisitive about nature since we hatched.  He and I both marvel at the macro world that most don’t take the time to uncover.  Now that film and processing is so cheap (digital photography ) we try never to waste a photo op in this world that gives us back aches to expose.
Now that I have discovered your site, I will take advantage of your expertise, in situations whose mysteries evade my browsing abilities.
Heartfelt thanks for your help,
Don Soderberg
South Mountain Reptiles

Eric Eaton provides a partial identification
Hi, Daniel:
Ok, I’m not sure of the identity of the caterpillar, but the other larvae are erupting from inside of it.  They are most likely larvae of a braconid wasp (family Braconidae).  That synchronous emergence, from one exit hole in the host, is not uncommon.  They will spin cocoons in a mass, too.
Eric
P.S.  Might I have permission to blog about this, using those two images?

Hi Eric,
What’s That Bug? would grant you permission to use anything since we know it will be for educational purposes.  We hope Don agrees.

No problem using the pix.
Wish I’d stuck them into a container that would have been suitable for all this to unfold.  I’m sure I would have gotten the temps and humidity wrong, so . . . oh well.

Brian Brown thinks they look like Fly Larvae
April 29, 2010
They look like fly larvae to me. I asked Mike Sharkey, a braconid expert, to look at this, and he said “They do not look like bracs or any Hym to me. With the sharp posteriors they look like dips to me. Very interesting.”
They don’t look like syrphid larvae; more like phorids, the group I work on. Many are parasitoids. Did Don collect any specimens or try to rear these out?
Brian Brown
LACM Entomology

Thanks Brian,
We will write back to Don to see if he kept specimens.

Posted 28 April 2010 § Cutworms and Owlet Caterpillars ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged: ,

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