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

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

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) » Calyptratae » Oestroidea » Parasitic Flies (Tachinidae) » Exoristinae » Blondeliini » Compsilura » Compsilura concinnata
Photo#2074613
Monarch parasitoid - maybe Compsilura? - Compsilura concinnata
Copyright © 2021 Ken Schneider

Monarch parasitoid - maybe Compsilura? - Compsilura concinnata
Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California, USA
December 17, 2021
Size: 9 mm
Robin A. collected a Monarch butterfly caterpillar in her yard in late November 2021 and placed it in an enclosure. This pupa emerged from the chrysalis around 17 Dec and she sent it to me to donate to CAS as a specimen. The adult fly emerged on 28 Dec and I chilled it, too some photos, euthanized it and saved it as a specimen. I am having some trouble keying it in MND, but tentatively got to Compsilura, which is a known Monarch parasitoid - the prosternum is sparsely setose and there are four pairs of scutellar bristles. I don't think it is Lespesia, is it?

Images of this individual: tag all
Monarch parasitoid - maybe Compsilura? - Compsilura concinnata Monarch parasitoid - maybe Compsilura? - Compsilura concinnata Monarch parasitoid - maybe Compsilura? - Compsilura concinnata Monarch parasitoid - maybe Compsilura? - Compsilura concinnata Monarch parasitoid - maybe Compsilura? - Compsilura concinnata Monarch parasitoid - maybe Compsilura? - Compsilura concinnata Monarch parasitoid - maybe Compsilura? - Compsilura concinnata Monarch parasitoid - maybe Compsilura? - Compsilura concinnata Monarch parasitoid - maybe Compsilura? - Compsilura concinnata Monarch parasitoid - maybe Compsilura? - Compsilura concinnata
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Ken Schneider on 28 December, 2021 - 8:35pm
Last updated 31 December, 2021 - 7:48pm

Moved
Moved from Parasitic Flies.
… John F. Carr, 31 December, 2021 - 7:48pm login or register to post comments

Probably Compsilura
If the prealar is weak it should be Compsilura concinnata.
… John F. Carr, 28 December, 2021 - 8:53pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks -
John! I added a photo of what I think is the pre-alar bristle, which is about half the thickness and length of the bristle behind it - not sure I've interpreted it correctly though.
… Ken Schneider, 28 December, 2021 - 9:38pm login or register to post comments

 
Compare to dorsocentrals
The second supra-alar is almost always stronger than the first. The standard comparison is pre-alar vs. dorsocentrals.
… John F. Carr, 30 December, 2021 - 8:06pm login or register to post comments

 
Gotcha -
it's hard to image the bristles perfectly, but I've added a photo of the scutum. The first post-sutural dc is definitely about twice as long and thick as the supra-alar, from what I can tell.
… Ken Schneider, 31 December, 2021 - 6:05pm 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 © 2003-2025 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