Aphid wasp being born

Moved

Moved from "Parasitica" (parasitic Apocrita).

… Bob Zuparko, 29 May, 2018 - 12:39pm

Emerging wasp…

I suspect the wasp emerging from this aphid may be a hyperparasitic pteromalid. Can't see a lot of details, but the muscular thorax and long antennae seem to suggest this.

One possible scenario is that the aphid was initially parasitized by another chalcid that attacks aphids (the primary parasitoid). Sometime later, a female pteromalid may have come along and parasitized the primary parasitoid through the aphid. This is actually a fairly common occurence since many pteromalids are naturally hyperparasitic in this manner.

See reference here.

… Ross Hill, 12 June, 2014 - 7:22pm

I have a question...

I have seen two tiny black wasps and one has a chunky abdomen like the one in the photo. The other has a longer abdomen. So the aphid is parasitized by one wasp and another wasp parasitizes the wasp already in the aphid? So the second wasp is the one that is born and the other wasp dies along with the aphid? If that's correct, I'm in awe of the crazy insect world. Love those little wasps. I can't kill any aphids now because I'm waiting to see if any more wasps hatch.

… Carol Davis, 14 June, 2014 - 2:55pm

The wasp with ...

... the long abdomen is probably the primary parasitoid (Braconidae: Aphidiinae) that kills the aphid. The one with the chunky abdomen is a hyper, and can be a Pteromalidae or a Figitidae (Charipinae) - unfortunately I can't tell which one from these images. Other hypers are from the family Megaspilidae, but don't look like this image.

… Bob Zuparko, 19 February, 2018 - 1:40pm

Upon second examination ...

... I think the wings of the wasp are too short to be a charipine, so this beast is most likely a pteromalid, and the two most common genera of aphid hyperparasitoids among the pteromalids are Asaphes and Pachyneuron.

… Bob Zuparko, 29 May, 2018 - 12:39pm

Thanks...

Thanks for that information and for taking the time to answer my question.

… Carol Davis, 19 February, 2018 - 2:11pm

Hyperparasitim

It is essentially as you describe but the stage that is parasitized is the larva. So the host wasp never makes it to the adult stage but is killed and eaten by the hyperparasitoid larva before then.

… Matthias Buck, 14 June, 2014 - 4:16pm

Thank you...

Amazing.

… Carol Davis, 14 June, 2014 - 5:34pm

Aphidiinae

An aphidiine (Braconidae) could probably be another host for the hyperparasitoid.

… Matthias Buck, 12 June, 2014 - 7:54pm

Moved

Moved from Aphid Wasps.

… Matthias Buck, 11 June, 2014 - 10:42pm