Saturday 11 May 2013

Parasitoid of Olethreutes mygindiana


In May 2012, this 8mm long parasitoid larva appeared in a container that had housed a caterpillar of Olethreutes mygindiana. The fully-grown caterpillar had completely disappeared.
I suspect this solitary endoparasitoid to be one of the Lissonotinae (Banchinae) which usually attack young lepidopterous larvae but don't kill the host until it is fully grown.
It may well belong to the genus Glypta (Glyptini) which attack partially concealed larvae of various small lepidoptera, especially tortricids. I wonder if it is Glypta gracilis which has been described previously from this host.
Unfortunately the parasitoid died before it reached the adult stage.

Monday 6 May 2013