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Chrysophtharta variicollis (Parasite = Tachinid fly)
Tortoise leaf beetles cluster and wave their tails around to dissuade flies laying eggs on them. This has not worked for two of these mature larvae.
See others here and here http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/847... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/815...
Spotted on Feb 7, 2012
Submitted on Feb 7, 2012
3 Comments
This is so interesting.. Thanks for sharing this information with all of us!
Christiane, without tachinid flies and parasitic wasps, we would soon be buried in beetles.
That makes sense about the waving tails and flies.
If evolution was really kind they would have arms.