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Ctenuchid Wasp Moth Pupation

Myrmecopsis strigosa

Description:

The Ctenuchid Wasp Moth larva (2 cm in length) from the previous spotting (picture 2) continued to eat and exercise for 3 more days after I brought it home. On 11 October 2018, it began its cocoon formation by shedding all of the yellow-orange hair and mixing it with silk (pictures 1 and 3). It formed the prepupa on 12 October, shrinking down to about 1 cm (picture 4). It pupated 2 days later on 14 October (picture 5). The pupa was bright orange but turned brown within a couple of days. The absolutely most amazing thing was that the shed skin and head capsule of the larva were full of small white larvae, probably wasp or fly parasites (picture 6). It shed all of the parasites along with the larval skin and remained healthy! I didn't know that was even possible. The larvae were alive and moving, but dried up and died within 2 days.

Habitat:

Semi-rural residential area, San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, 2,200 meters.

Notes:

For the previous spotting of this larva see: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/116.... For the adult wasp moth which emerged from this larva see: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/652....

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LaurenZarate
Spotted by
LaurenZarate

Chiapas, Mexico

Spotted on Oct 11, 2018
Submitted on Nov 3, 2018

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