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Photo#974856
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Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida, USA
August 9, 2014
4 pm. Please explain.

Images of this individual: tag all
? ? ? ?

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Looks lik a cricket
With a parasite something like this. But not the same species of cricket I don't think.

Rhopalosomatid…
These are wasp parasitoids of crickets. Attached is the larval sac or case of the wasp.

See reference here.

 
thanks!
I could try to collect it (if I find it again) and see what comes out. Would it be worth it?

Edit: I collected it (5:30 pm) and was surprised to see that the cricket nymph was still alive (rather sluggish though). I kept it in a small tupperware container (with a moist piece of paper towel) that I left on my deck. Does anyone know how long this will take now?

 
Good question…
This is a rare and poorly understood group of wasps. From what I've read, the larva feeds on the abdomen of the cricket, and once it gets to the fifth instar, it leaves the host, spins a cocoon, and then pupates in the soil, emerging at some point as an adult wasp. Don't know about the timing. If you add a little soil to your container, this might encourage the development, which may or may not occur without it.

 
Okay. I will add some soil and leaves ...
... and see how it goes.

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