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) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » "Parasitica" - Parasitoid Wasps » Braconid and Ichneumonid Wasps (Ichneumonoidea) » Braconid Wasps (Braconidae) » Microgastrinae » Cotesia » Hornworm Parasitoid Wasp (Cotesia congregata)
Photo#164370
Caterpillar with eggs? - Cotesia congregata
Copyright © 2008 Holly DeKam Griffith

Caterpillar with eggs? - Cotesia congregata
Sugar Land, Fort Bend County, Texas, USA
August 4, 2007
This was found on a sprig of potted parsley. What is it and are those eggs?

Images of this individual: tag all
Caterpillar with eggs? - Cotesia congregata Caterpillar with eggs? - Cotesia congregata Caterpillar with eggs? - Cotesia congregata
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Holly DeKam Griffith on 8 January, 2008 - 12:56pm
Last updated 12 November, 2008 - 1:25pm

Moved
Moved from Cocoons and parasitized caterpillars.
… Charley Eiseman, 12 November, 2008 - 1:25pm login or register to post comments

Tobacco hornworm, perhaps?
To my untrained eye it looks very much like a tobacco hornworm, red horn and slanted lines and all. Were there any tomato plants or related plants nearby?
… Beatriz Moisset, 28 June, 2008 - 11:03am login or register to post comments

Yes, those are wasp cocoons,
Yes, those are wasp cocoons, do you know what kind of plant this was on? Because that would help pinpoint the species of sphinx moth it is.
… Ryan St Laurent, 8 January, 2008 - 2:21pm login or register to post comments

 
Type of plant
I'm pretty sure it was found on a parsley plant. Are you saying the caterpillar is a sphinx moth?
… Holly DeKam Griffith, 8 January, 2008 - 3:26pm login or register to post comments

 
hard to tell
Yes, it is deffinately a sphinx moth larvae, but I'm not sure of the species. I couldn't find any sphinids in your area that feed on parsley but it most likely belongs to the subfamily Sphinginae of Sphingidae.
… Ryan St Laurent, 8 January, 2008 - 4:54pm login or register to post comments

Wasp eggs?
I think there are wasps that do this.
… John R. Maxwell, 8 January, 2008 - 1:38pm login or register to post comments

 
Just to clarify
The tiny eggs of the parasitoid were laid on or inside the caterpillar. They hatched inside or entered inside the caterpillar. The parasitoid larvae developed inside the caterpillar eating away at its insides. When they are full grown larvae and ready to pupate, they emerge from the caterpillar and spin their silken cocoons attached to the caterpillar and that is what you see here. Oftentime they disable the motor section of the caterpillar brain before doing this so they are not harmed by future caterpillar movement. If you see such a creature again, save it and photograph the wasps as they emerge from the cocoons. That would be a great addition to BugGuide.
… john and jane balaban, 8 January, 2008 - 5:05pm 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