Miniflies

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… Charley Eiseman, 15 December, 2011 - 10:06pm

What about . . .

=v='s suggestion of Aphelinidae?

… R. Berg, 15 December, 2011 - 10:34pm

How about Trichogrammatidae...

which are egg parasitoids? Are you sure none of the eggs have exit holes?

… Charley Eiseman, 15 December, 2011 - 9:45pm

Yes...

The shortened antennae and abdomen suggest Trichogramma. They are all egg parasitoids of nearly every insect group. Very nice find. If the eggs are indeed those of moths, then that would be confirmation for this group.

See reference here.

… Ross Hill, 15 December, 2011 - 10:04pm

Not sure

The eggs looked intact, but I'll examine them more closely tomorrow. If these eggs

are the source, some siblings may show up.

… R. Berg, 15 December, 2011 - 9:55pm

Blackish eggs

Most of them look parasitized, and the eighth one from the left looks like it already has an exit hole.

… Charley Eiseman, 15 December, 2011 - 10:05pm

Still not sure!

I photographed the eggs again today, including edge-on views of the leaf, but the images aren't clear enough to show whether that egg or others have exit holes. Sorry, these eggs are just too small. The photo of the eggs preceded the photo of the wasps by four days, so the contour on Egg #8 that may be a hole was there four days before I saw any wasps, and I checked the eggs every day in between.

Wasps that size wouldn't need a big hole.

Today there was one new wasp on the leaves.

… R. Berg, 16 December, 2011 - 9:20pm

Staggered emergence

This summer someone sent me a cluster of butterfly eggs after wasps had been emerging from them for a week, and after I got these photos they continued to emerge for another week.

… Charley Eiseman, 16 December, 2011 - 9:39pm

Really staggered

I found two more of these wasps on the sprig today, two weeks after the first two.

… R. Berg, 29 December, 2011 - 7:20pm

Different subfamilies!

My eggs are so many colors that there may well be multiple species in there. All the emergers I've seen so far look alike.

Guide page for your darker one, error: "probably this represents half of the total number."

… R. Berg, 16 December, 2011 - 11:21pm

Aphelinidae? something in that vast area

… v belov, 15 December, 2011 - 8:46pm

This part certainly fits them

From guide page: "thorax and abdomen broadly joined."

… R. Berg, 15 December, 2011 - 9:51pm

They look more like wasps to me...

Maybe something in Chalcidoidea?

But I could be way off base, so wait for additional opinions. :)

… Ken Wolgemuth, 15 December, 2011 - 8:45pm