PARASITIC WASP
subfamily Anacharitinae
PARASITIC WASP FAMILY (Figitidae)
A small black wasp, about 1/8 inch long (4 mm), with reddish legs, abdomen on a short petiole, distinctive wing venation (click here to see the wing venation) and black antennae. The head is wider than the abdomen.
This wasp was photographed on 4 June 2016 at Fontenelle Forest when it was attracted to moth lights. It may be common in this area but we don’t really know. Its hosts, the larvae of Brown Lacewing and Green Lacewing, are certainly common in this area so one may conclude that it is probably common. It is not seen often because of its very small size. This wasp is represented on BugGuide by two images, one from Alaska and the second from Nebraska and it being the only live specimen represented on BugGuide.
This wasp is a koinobiont endoparasitioid of the larvae of Brown Lacewing and Green Lacewing. This means that the female adult wasp lays an egg inside the body of the host larva. The venom injected with the egg only partially paralyzes the host and it soon recovers. The host continues to live and grow and is only killed when the parasitoid wasp reaches maturity.
The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Loren Padelford.