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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » "Parasitica" - Parasitoid Wasps » Braconid and Ichneumonid Wasps (Ichneumonoidea) » Braconid Wasps (Braconidae) » Meteorinae » Meteorus
Photo#440294
Cocoon - Meteorus
Copyright © 2010 R. Berg

Cocoon - Meteorus
Alameda County, California, USA
August 10, 2010
Size: 5.5 mm excluding silk
This cocoon was found in a rolled raspberry leaf that served as a larva's shelter: . At an earlier stage, it looked like a braconid wasp's cocoon found here, , except that yellow replaced green as the color of the nascent pupal case. However, the yellow material hasn't lengthened much even though structures are visible that look like adult organs. I wonder whether a parasitoid is eating the occupant. Is the light brown object near the lower left a larva?

Photo taken at 1:19 p.m.

Images of this individual: tag all
Cocoon - Meteorus Cocoon - Meteorus Cocoon - Meteorus Cocoon - Meteorus Cocoon - Meteorus Cocoon - Meteorus Adult - Meteorus - female Adult - Meteorus - female Dorsal view, post mortem - Meteorus - female Ventral view, post mortem - Meteorus - female Exuviae - Meteorus
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Contributed by R. Berg on 10 August, 2010 - 11:31pm
Last updated 24 October, 2010 - 1:11pm

Moved
Moved from Braconid Wasps.
… Bob Carlson, 17 August, 2010 - 11:05am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Braconids and Ichneumons.
… Bob Carlson, 14 August, 2010 - 6:56am login or register to post comments

Wrong Move?
Saw your series of cocoon shots, including one where a foreleg and head had emerged, saw it to be an ichneumonoid, so moved the batch here, where I read this: "I wonder whether a parasitoid is eating the occupant..." Well, hyperparasitism of occupants of cocoons is very common, but I don't see the additional larva being referred to and see that the images link to others where a female that I suppose could be Meteorus has emerged and already been moved to the Braconidae.
… Bob Carlson, 13 August, 2010 - 12:21pm login or register to post comments

 
Just Braconidae?
I took more care this time to get good photos of the adult (within the limits of the camera) than with the wasp from the earlier cocoon, the one already in Braconidae. Isn't a more specific ID possible for this second wasp?

It turns out that there was no larva, but I couldn't connect the curved light brown segment with any expected body part of a wasp, and the visible wasp tissue seemed to be decreasing over the last two days in the cocoon.

About genus ID: The last comment on this page:

describes Meteorus cocoons as being placed very differently than the two cocoons I've posted and all others I've found that looked like them. Mine were loosely attached within rolled or folded leaves.
… R. Berg, 14 August, 2010 - 12:33pm login or register to post comments

 
Just
Surely not just, but there isn't much point in me attempting to take it further when there are specialists on the group who can, particularly given that your photo shows the wing venation so well. Whether anyone would be able to identify the species without seeing the specimen, I wouldn't know, but you apparently have the specimen in the event that someone wants to see it.
… Bob Carlson, 14 August, 2010 - 2:10pm login or register to post comments

 
Hang on, more images are coming
A wasp emerged today. Evidently she wasn't parasitized after all. I'll post photos soon.
… R. Berg, 13 August, 2010 - 10:48pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Bob Carlson, 13 August, 2010 - 12:09pm login or register to post comments

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