Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Flannel, Slug Caterpillar, Leaf Skeletonizer Moths and kin (Zygaenoidea) » Slug Caterpillar Moths (Limacodidae) » Euclea
Photo#1324935
Parasitized slug caterpillar - Euclea
Copyright © 2016 John van der Linden

Parasitized slug caterpillar - Euclea
Red Oak Prairie, Allamakee County, Iowa, USA
September 1, 2016
Parasitoid larva (fly? wasp?) curves its black "tongue" to reach fresh host tissue. Reminds me of what a leaf-mining fly larva looks like under magnification as it feeds. I couldn't (still can't) believe my good fortune at coming across this phenomenon and managing to get these shots.

Images of this individual: tag all
Parasitized slug caterpillar - Euclea Parasitized slug caterpillar - Euclea Parasitized slug caterpillar - Euclea Parasitized slug caterpillar - Euclea Parasitized slug caterpillar - Euclea Parasitized slug caterpillar - Euclea Parasitized slug caterpillar - Euclea
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by John van der Linden on 21 December, 2016 - 11:21pm
Last updated 1 January, 2022 - 2:20pm

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

I think you're right that the breathing hole indicates a fly (tachinid) larva, but I'm not totally sure.
… Charley Eiseman, 19 April, 2017 - 10:01am login or register to post comments

 
Cool, thanks
for your input on this. Next time I'll collect and rear ;-)
… John van der Linden, 19 April, 2017 - 11:11am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Slug Caterpillar Moths.
… John van der Linden, 21 December, 2016 - 11:37pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact