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Metalmark / Caterpillar infested by wasp

Synargis calyce

Photo by Sckel
Published on Project Noah
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-20.2722, -40.4075

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (11)

Please, check this caterpillar ID, after checking the other Synargis ID.
Sorry, Lauren, had not seen your comment. Yes, I'll try to do what you asked. There are more caterpillars infested where I found this.
Sckel, this is such a neat spotting, along with the one of the caterpillar after many of the wasps had emerged. Can you put these two together? It is so neat to see them before and after and to know that the poor caterpillar did indeed die (probably didn't have enough internal organs left to survive very long). It is the same caterpillar, right? Can you open one of the still closed wasp cells and see which wasp it is?
Wow, never seen that in all the history of my life!
Wow. That's scary, João.
Wow. Very cool.
Hm it's uglier than that, looking like these are pupae from parasitic wasp larvae that emerged from it, still there, when they hatch these coccoons will look like they have an open lid at the top.
drP, I had never seen it. Ithink it's a way to stay glued to the sheet while it undergoes metamorphosis (pupa).
I think the white thing is a bunch of mealybugs.

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