Subject: Mother & babies or mass parasitism?
Location: Altadena CA foothills (chaparral)
June 18, 2017 7:08 pm
We have no idea what’s happening here… I strongly suspect parasitism?? Forwarding the photo to What’s That Bug for consultation!
Signature: Lori & Neighbors in Altadena
Caterpillar and Parasitoid
Dear Lori and Neighbors in Altadena,
This Caterpillar is definitely the victim of a Parasitoid. Alas, we don’t think we will be able to accurately identify either species. The Caterpillar appears to be an Inchworm in the family Geometridae, but we would need to see the prolegs to know for certain. We suspect the parasitoid may be a species of Tachinid Fly.
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Location: Altadena, California
