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Photo#478304
Parasitoid wasp associated with silky prairie clover caterpillar - Tetrastichus

Parasitoid wasp associated with silky prairie clover caterpillar - Tetrastichus
Weaver Dunes, Wabasha County, Minnesota, USA
August 29, 2010
A parasitoid wasp for which the silky prairie caterpillar is a host. Red lines are millimeter marks on a tape measure.
Host:

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Parasitoid wasp associated with silky prairie clover caterpillar - Tetrastichus Moth associated with silky prairie clover - Tetrastichus

Moved
Moved from Chalcidoid Wasps.

Eulophidae-Chalcidoid
Subfam Tetrastichinae, probably a Tetrastichus sp.

Eulophid…
The wing venation, shortened antennae, dark metallic coloration, and subtriangular prepectus indicate this chalcid family. This is a female. Gelechiid moth larvae include many leaf rollers which are a favorite host of many eulophids.

See reference here.

 
Awesome!
Thanks Ross! Great to know. I am amazed you can tell it's a female just by looking -- that is a pretty wicked skill :-)

It's also cool to hear that many eulophids specialize on leaf rollers. Any idea how these wasps locate their hosts? Chemical cues? It would also be interesting to find out when these wasps oviposit (e.g., while the caterpillar is moving around, or while the caterpillar is trying to hide in its shelter?) -- I should have paid closer attention to the shenanigans in my rearing jars this summer!

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

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