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Family Scelionidae, either Trissolcus sp. or Gryon sp.
A tiny wasp thoroughly inspecting a cluster of eggs. "This wasp is in the family Scelionidae (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea). All members of this family are egg parasitoids. (...) Sometimes after laying an egg, the female will mark the host egg with a pheromone to let other females know that the egg is already being used." (Courtesy user John La Salle).
Spotted on Dec 14, 2013
Submitted on Dec 15, 2013
6 Comments
Fantastico
Thank you very much stho002 and John La Salle. I am very attracted to this kind of behavior, actually if I was a biologist I'd seriously consider parasitism as my object of study!
Genus Trissolcus, or possibly genus Gryon
Hi Sergio
This wasp is in the family Scelionidae (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scelionidae...
All members of this family are egg parasitoids.
I don't know this group too well, but this could possibly be a Trissolcus species.
Sometimes after laying an egg, the female will mark the host egg with a pheromone to let other females know that the egg is already being used.
They surely do, Martin. It is possible that two of the eggs are already compromised!
Those eggs need some spikes, as they sometimes do have!!!