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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Calyptratae » Oestroidea » Parasitic Flies (Tachinidae) » Exoristinae » Eryciini » Lespesia
Photo#1569001
Monarch parasitoid - Lespesia - female
Copyright © 2018 Robin McLeod

Monarch parasitoid - Lespesia - Female
London, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada
July 30, 2018
Size: 8 mm
Fly larva emerged from Monarch caterpillar and pupated 18 Jul 2018.
Adult fly emerged from pupa 30 Jul 2018.

One source says five species of tachinids have been known to infect Monarchs:
https://www.monarchwatch.org/update/2003/0717.html
Another source says twelve species of tachinids and one braconid wasp:
https://monarchjointventure.org/threats/natural-enemies
Apparently, Lespesia archippivora is the most common species targeting Monarchs.

Images of this individual: tag all
Monarch parasitoid - Lespesia - female Monarch parasitoid - Lespesia - female Monarch parasitoid - Lespesia Monarch parasitoid - Lespesia - female Monarch parasitoid - Lespesia
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Contributed by Robin McLeod on 4 August, 2018 - 12:51am
Last updated 16 September, 2022 - 8:40am

Moved
According to this PDF doc by Karen Oberhauser at U of Minnesota, of thousands of Monarch larvae studied since 1997, all of the several dozen flies that emerged and were identified to species turned out to be Lespesia archippivora, so that's what I assume this one is.

Moved from Parasitic Flies.
… Robin McLeod, 23 August, 2019 - 4:23pm login or register to post comments

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