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) » Orthorrhapha » Asiloidea » Bee Flies (Bombyliidae) » Unidentified Larvae and Pupae
Photo#203512
Mud dauber parasites?
Copyright © 2008 Kris Light

Mud dauber parasites?
Oak Ridge, Anderson County, Tennessee, USA
July 17, 2008
Size: 3/4"
I found these dried larval "skins" left in the holes of a mud dauber wasp's nest. They appear to be from a wasp parasite. Some holes had 2 of these emerging from them. Could they be from a tachnid fly? Does anyone recognize these? Thanks!
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Kris Light on 19 July, 2008 - 1:48pm
Last updated 3 September, 2016 - 2:15am

Moved
Moved from Bee Flies.
… John S. Ascher, 3 September, 2016 - 2:15am login or register to post comments

Bee fly seems right
I just came across this paper on identifying bee fly pupae in the genus Anthrax, and these do look like them. There are some that are known parasitoids of mud daubers.
… Charley Eiseman, 31 October, 2008 - 11:12pm login or register to post comments

 
That looks like a good match!
Thanks Charlie! According to the Kaufman Field Guide it looks like a good match. Anthrax, what a strange genus name for a fly!
… Kris Light, 1 November, 2008 - 9:57am login or register to post comments

Mud dauber "parasites"
Hi Eric,

Oh gosh, you've asked me a lot of questions that I can't answer! I was shown the nest at the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge. I never saw the adults at the nests, so I have no clue what they looked like. And I'm assuming the round holes were the exit holes, but I don't know if they were made by the wasps or these creatures. This may be a mystery that will have to go unanswered!
… Kris Light, 1 September, 2008 - 7:40pm login or register to post comments

 
Exuviae
Hi Kris,

Well, I'm not sure what these are, but I can tell you they definitely aren't from tachinids. The nest looks like probably a pipe organ mud dauber (Trypoxylon politum, what Eric's calling Trypargilum), but I'd want to see a photo of the whole nest to be sure.

Any chance you could get a more detailed shot of the exuviae? I'm curious to find out what they are too! They remind me a bit of carpenter bee pupae...
… Charley Eiseman, 24 September, 2008 - 8:19pm login or register to post comments

 
Bombyliidae?
These could belong to a parasitic species of Bombyliid. I took apart a Trypoxylon politum nest last December to see what parasitoids would emerge, and a fairly large black Bombyliid was one of the emergents. The exuvia looks very similar to the ones in the picture (it's at home, so I'm going by memory).
… George Waldren, 24 September, 2008 - 9:32pm login or register to post comments

 
Bombyliidae...
Here is the only image I could find of a bombyliid pupal skin, for comparison.

I should modify my previous comment to say, they remind me of pupal skins that I found below carpenter bee holes when they were doing "spring cleaning." What I found looked more like Kris' photo than like the one in the attached link, but I may well be wrong about what they were.
… Charley Eiseman, 24 September, 2008 - 10:21pm login or register to post comments

Parasite or scavenger....
Was there an exit hole from the wasp emerging, or was the nest still sealed aside from these things poking out? If sealed, then, yes, some kind of parasite (probably a fly). If an exit hole from the emerging wasp, then probably some kind of scavenger eating the spider remains. Also, what kind of mud dauber (Sceliphron, Chalybion, or Trypargilum)?
… Eric R. Eaton, 1 September, 2008 - 1:32pm 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