Wasp 008

Moved

Moved from Ichneumon Wasps.

… Bob Carlson, 23 October, 2011 - 7:59pm

Moved for expert attention

Moved from ID Request.

… Ken Wolgemuth, 23 October, 2011 - 6:15pm

Karl Hillig saw this species in 2010 down

the road from me! Very cool. http://bugguide.net/node/view/366632/bgimage

… Kenneth E. BARNETT, 23 October, 2011 - 6:30pm

The Hillig photo is probably a species of Cryptinae.

… Bob Carlson, 23 October, 2011 - 8:01pm

Bob Carlson this

wasp seems to specifically parasitize looper caterpillars. Since posting at my Facebook blog, a bug friend, confirmed that this same wasp is one that he's been telling me about as a greenhouse "contaminant"- as the result of a looper infestation. Can we get this to species, since I now have several pinned specimens??

Kenny

… Kenneth E. BARNETT, 23 October, 2011 - 8:50pm

I should be able to ID the specimens to species. If you send me an email, I'll send you my snail-mail address. Most Ichneumoninae parasitize lep pupae, but some parasitize the mature larva (prepupa).

… Bob Carlson, 23 October, 2011 - 9:21pm

Bob, Okay, so here's the scoop so far for clarification

1) An ichneumon with white bands on the antennae has been collected in Mass. recently in the wild.
2) An ichneumon with white bands on the antennae that is parasitizing cabbage looper pupae (confirmed) in a greenhouse situation, will be collected (I have a photo of pupae with the exit holes, will snail mail this to you).
3) I do not know if the above two ichneumon's are the same.
4) I do not know if either of the above, are the same as the ichneumon in the image posted here recently from NY.

Kenny

… Kenneth E. BARNETT, 26 October, 2011 - 9:39am

Great, I'll send you a snail

mail and get some out to you. It will be a bit, I have other bugs to get out to other experts first. Thanks for your patience. The move of them into the greenhouse to attack invasive loopers that are a pest of a butterfly park, is a neat thing to maybe publish if they are native.

K.

… Kenneth E. BARNETT, 24 October, 2011 - 10:12pm

Invasive Loopers

Have these "invasive loopers" been identified? The term looper most commonly applies to geometrid larvae, but it seems more likely that this case concerns one of the noctuid loopers. Is that the case?

… Bob Carlson, 25 October, 2011 - 12:24pm

I think I thought the looper was the noctuid

Cabbage looper moth or Alfalfa looper. But now I'll make sure and get back to you.

… Kenneth E. BARNETT, 25 October, 2011 - 7:18pm

I believe this IS or is very NEAR the Ichneumon wasp

Coelichneumon sp., but then I also realize how many look like this. Which is why we need one in hand.

… Kenneth E. BARNETT, 25 October, 2011 - 7:41pm

Coelichneumon

Indeed, this may be a species of Coelichneumon, but I don't find any records for Coelichneumon species on either of those hosts.

… Bob Carlson, 25 October, 2011 - 9:39pm

I will try to secure both the host and the

wasp in ethanol rather than pinning, so I can get them transported more easily. I have good sealed lab vials for shipping. I'll contact you private email in a day or two. Best. K.

… Kenneth E. BARNETT, 26 October, 2011 - 7:39am