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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » "Parasitica" - Parasitoid Wasps » Braconid and Ichneumonid Wasps (Ichneumonoidea) » Ichneumonid Wasps (Ichneumonidae) » Hover Fly Parasitoid Wasps (Diplazontinae) » Diplazon » Common Hover Fly Parasitoid Wasp (Diplazon laetatorius)
Photo#291368
Hover fly parasite - Diplazon laetatorius - female
Copyright © 2009 Ted Kropiewnicki

Hover fly parasite - Diplazon laetatorius - Female
Bear, New Castle County, Delaware, USA
June 19, 2009
Size: ~ 7 mm
This Wasp was jumping around a Spoonleaf Yucca, same plant as shown here, stealing liquid/honey from Aphids which were being guarded by Ants. The Wasp was using same technique as the ants, using its antennae to poke the Aphids until they produced a bubble of liquid. Even though the Ants are smaller, they attacked the wasp but he just jumped to another group of Aphids.

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Hover fly parasite - Diplazon laetatorius - female Hover fly parasite - Diplazon laetatorius - female
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Contributed by Ted Kropiewnicki on 20 June, 2009 - 9:18pm
Last updated 21 January, 2010 - 10:24pm

Moved
Moved from Diplazontinae.
… Ted Kropiewnicki, 28 September, 2009 - 8:19pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Ichneumon Wasps. Thank you Ross!
… Ted Kropiewnicki, 26 August, 2009 - 2:16pm login or register to post comments

Diplazontinae…
Sorry for missing this earlier, but it does fit this subfamily in the head shape, coloration, and the distinctive leg patterning and wing stigma. This is likely a male grabbing an energy drink. Domingo was right!

See reference here.
… Ross Hill, 26 August, 2009 - 11:55am login or register to post comments

Ichneumonidae...
This is a known but rarely seen behavior you have observed (parasitic wasps feeding on honeydew from aphids). Nice work. I don't believe there is enough details here to determine a subfamily here, so I would leave at the family level for now.
… Ross Hill, 24 June, 2009 - 5:30pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks Ross!
..
… Ted Kropiewnicki, 25 June, 2009 - 11:14pm login or register to post comments

Maybe a syrphid fly parasitoid.
For more about this story, see here.
… Domingo Zungri, 21 June, 2009 - 12:25am login or register to post comments

 
Thanks Domingo!
Thanks for the link to a very interesting story. I did not see any Syrphid Fly larvae but they may be along soon to feed on Aphids so I can see a possible connection. At this point the Wasp was just taking the opportunity to get some honeydew.
… Ted Kropiewnicki, 21 June, 2009 - 9:02pm login or register to post comments

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