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) » Flies (Diptera) » "Acalyptratae"
Photo#1570806
Wasps that visit Papilio glaucus while the butterfly is puddling
Copyright © 2018 kgivens

Wasps that visit Papilio glaucus while the butterfly is puddling
Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA
August 5, 2018
Size: 3mm
SEEKING ID ON THE TINY WASP, NOT THE BUTTERFLY---- we all recognize Papilio glaucus. I'm seeking an ID and any life history info on the tiny wasps that "ride along" on the butterfly while it's puddling (the wasp is visible on the highest part of the forewings). I have not read of this behavior and am wondering what the wasps are interested in. Some tiger swallowtails had two or three wasps clinging to their wings. I also photographed spicebush and pipevine swallowtails at the same puddling site, saw no wasps on them. Wild guess---Could they be egg parasites that find female Tiger Swallowtails at "popular" puddling locations and then follow the butterfly to egg-laying locations?

Images of this individual: tag all
Wasps that visit Papilio glaucus while the butterfly is puddling Wasps that visit Papilio glaucus while the butterfly is puddling
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by kgivens on 6 August, 2018 - 8:23pm
Last updated 19 August, 2018 - 5:51pm

Sepsis fly?
The ride along sure looks like a Sepsis fly (https://bugguide.net/node/view/8678). They frequent scat and butterfly puddling often takes place neat scat as well...
… Will Kuhn, 2 July, 2022 - 3:18pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Flies.
… Even Dankowicz, 19 August, 2018 - 5:51pm 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