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Photo#1009276
White things, aphid skins or live insects?

White things, aphid skins or live insects?
Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California, USA
October 8, 2014
Size: ~1mm
You can see more of them, some do look like eviscerated aphids. Could they be larva of some other insect?

Note: Coccinella septempunctata, was just one of five different ladybug species found on a couple small Arroyo Willow plants that day.

Moved
Moved from ID Request. Not sure of best placement, putting here for now.

two possibilities
exuvia, exoskeletons shed by aphids that outgrew them. Or aphids sucked dry by a predator, but not by the ladybug with its chewing mouth parts. I'd say they are exuvia

 
Thanks, for the explanation, Margarethe!
It is much the same as I would have thought only I was surprised when I thought I saw a wasp ovipositing one of them. I'm not sure what the explanation is, but it must be a mistake. See:

I should mention that Diplazon laetatorius is a hover fly parasite, and there was a large hover fly larva nearby.

...And yet, the elytra of a ladybug would seem an unlikely spot for an aphid to either shed, or be standing around waiting to be killed by yet another different predator. Just sort of puzzling.

 
I'm sure there is
more than just empty exuvia of aphids around, and that's what the wasp is targeting, not those empty husks.. But you seemed to specifically ask about them. As for the ladybug: he may have just brushed against that skin. They are light and sticky from honey dew that the aphids excrete

 
That makes sense.
Thanks again for responding. You are correct there are other things around. And yet apparently the preferred target of this wasp in at least one study was the first instar of Allograpta exotica. I've not come across a photo of one. I am beginning to think it looks a little like a narrow, tiny green flat thing, or this thing...well, I won't describe it, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking something.

Thanks for your patience. I hope when I have the time I can identify and add earlier instar photos of Syrphid larvae. For now I just have one photo of a large Syrphid larva. Thanks again. I hope my questions don't try your patience too much!

I find the syrphid larva I did see (that was confirmed) pretty amazing!


 
Here's another photo (not mine) from bugguide
It has been suggested that this wasp may oviposit into eggs of the host species. I does look like that may be happening here. I don't know too much about the wasp's M.O., but certainly the host cannot be smaller than the parasite?


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