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BugGuide Gathering
Smoky Mountains
University of Tennessee Biological Field Station
August 8-10, 2008
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Photos from the last gathering (Minnesota 2007)

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Photo#97862
Aphid parasitoid - female

Aphid parasitoid - Female
Lagina Beach, Orange County, California, USA
March 11, 2007
Size: 2mm
Attacking the unidentified aphid I posted yesterday!

Moved
Moved from Braconid Wasps.

Moved
Moved from Wasps.

Are braconids the only wasps that are aphid parasitoids?
And aren't they tough to identify further?

 
Braconidae
Braconids are tough to ID even to subfamiliy. There are a few tricks for the most common groups. This picture is of the subfamiliy Aphidiinae. They have wing venation reduced to a point where you might think they are Ichneumonids (see the horse-head cell), but there are other characters that accurately place them within the Braconidae).

I can't recall any specific examples of other aphid parasitoids, but I'm pretty sure there are Chalidoids that go after aphids (what don't Chalcidoids do?).

Nice!
Outstanding behavioral photo Peter!

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