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Convergent lady beetle with wasp larva

Hippodamia convergens

Description:

I was really confused by this series, but I think misako.hill has solved the mystery. It looks like the top ladybug has been the victim of a parasitic wasp, and the orange gooey thing is a newly hatched wasp larva. The bottom ladybug is eating it. Thanks misako!

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8 Comments

misako
misako 12 years ago

Happy to help! It is a great spotting.

textless
textless 12 years ago

Thanks misako.hill! Mystery solved... parasitic wasps and all. :)

misako
misako 12 years ago

@testless: Just saw this article and am wondering if it is a wasp larva emerging from the ladybug: http://www.livescience.com/14706-ladybug...

textless
textless 12 years ago

Thanks to CindyBinghamKeiser for the ID, and KarenL for the information about ladybug cannibalism. Interesting!

DoinaRussu
DoinaRussu 12 years ago

...in action! excellent!

misako
misako 12 years ago

very interesting--great shots.

raulalsc
raulalsc 12 years ago

otro asombroso ejemplo de supervivencia

KarenL
KarenL 12 years ago

http://insects.about.com/od/beetles/a/10...
If food is scarce, ladybugs will do what they must to survive, even if it means eating each other. A hungry ladybug will make a meal of any soft-bodied sibling it encounters. Newly emerged adults or recently molted larvae are soft enough for the average ladybug to chew. Eggs or pupae also provide protein to a ladybug that has run out of aphids.

textless
Spotted by
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Durango, Colorado, USA

Spotted on Sep 5, 2011
Submitted on Sep 19, 2011

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