Tag Archives: Ichneumonidae

Cocoon Within a Cocoon Within a Cocoon

Posted on April 30, 2017 by Charley Eiseman

The diamondback moth (Plutellidae: Plutella xylostella) is a European species that is now found all across North America, the larvae feeding on various plants in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). Apparently it’s considered a pretty serious pest, but I’d take it … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Brassica, Brassica oleracea, Brassicaceae, broccoli, Campopleginae, cocoon, Cryptinae, Diadegma, diamondback moth, Hymenoptera, hyperparasitoid, Ichneumonidae, Isdromas, Isdromas lycaenae, larva, leaf mine, Lepidium, Lepidium virginicum, Lepidoptera, moth, parasitism, parasitoid, peppergrass, Plutella, Plutella xylostella, Plutellidae, pupa | 2 Comments

Marsh Marigold Menagerie

Posted on December 27, 2016 by Charley Eiseman

In the spring of 2013, I wrote about the four-toed salamander surveys I was conducting at the time, which involved crawling around in swamps all over northwestern Massachusetts. On June 1, the last day of the survey, Julia tagged along, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Aphidiinae, beetle, Braconidae, Caltha palustris, Chloropidae, Chrysomelidae, Coleoptera, Diptera, Drosophilidae, Elachiptera, Ephedrus, fly, frit fly, fruit fly, ichneumon wasp, Ichneumonidae, larva, leaf beetle, leaf mine, marsh marigold, Megaselia, Megaselia limburgensis, Neurateles, new species, Orthocentrinae, parasitism, parasitoid, Phoridae, Prasocuris, Prasocuris boreella, pupa, Ranunculaceae, Scaptomyza, Scaptomyza pallida, Sciaridae, scuttle fly, Zygoneura, Zygoneura calthella | 11 Comments

Life and Death on Mt. Greylock

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Charley Eiseman

This past weekend I attended my third Berkshire BioBlitz. At my first one in 2011, I barely left the parking lot at the summit of Mt. Greylock and photographed 166 different species of insects and arachnids. This time, Julia and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aphid, Berkshire BioBlitz, BioBlitz, blueberry, chalcid, Diptera, Fagaceae, Figitidae, fly, gall, gall midge, hover fly, ichneumon wasp, Ichneumonidae, larva, Membracidae, oak, ovipositor, parasitism, parasitoid, predation, Quercus, sawfly, Syrphidae, Torymidae, treehopper, Vaccinium, Vaccinium angustifolium, wasp | 8 Comments

Another Mystery Solved, Sort Of

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Charley Eiseman

At the beginning of this month, I reported having found these tied leaves on smooth aster (Symphyotrichum laeve) plants in my backyard. On May 27, I had put three samples in jars on my desk to see what might emerge. On … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aster, Asteraceae, Campopleginae, caterpillar, Dichomeris, Dichomeris ochripalpella, Gelechiidae, ichneumon wasp, Ichneumonidae, larva, leaftier, moth, parasitism, parasitoid, smooth aster, Symphyotrichum, Symphyotrichum laeve, wasp | 3 Comments

Arizona Bugs, part 2

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Charley Eiseman

If I had to pick a favorite spot out of all the places we explored on our two-and-a-half-month road trip last fall, it would be Madera Canyon in southern Arizona. The scenery there isn’t particularly eye-catching; in fact, I didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Acmaeodera, Acmaeodera amabilis, Acrobasis, Adelpha eulalia, agave, Anthanassa texana, Arizona, Arizona sister, Asteraceae, bagworm, beetle, Brentidae, Buprestidae, butterfly, Campopleginae, Catastega, Chrysomelidae, Cicadellidae, cocoon, Coelocephalapion, Coleoptera, Cuerna, Cuerna yuccae, deer, Diptera, egg, Enchenopa, Enchenopa sericea, Eurema mexicana, Fabaceae, fox, Graphocephala ignava, Hordnia aurora, ichneumon wasp, Ichneumonidae, jumping spider, larva, leaf beetle, leafhopper, locust, Lycaenidae, Madera Canyon, Membracidae, metallic wood-boring beetle, Mexican yellow, moth, New Mexico locust, Nymphalidae, oak, parasitism, Pieridae, Psychidae, Pyralidae, Quercus, Robinia, Robinia neomexicana, Salticidae, spider, straight-snouted weevil, Tachinidae, tarantula, Texan crescent, Tortricidae, treehopper, wasp, weevil | 3 Comments

Monthly Mystery #7: Clothesline Egg Sacs

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Charley Eiseman

On page 43 of Tracks & Sign of Insects, I included a photo of “a mysterious and very common egg sac, almost certainly of a long-jawed orbweaver (Tetragnathidae).” Here is another example, showing the full length of the “clothesline” from which … Continue reading →

Posted in Unsolved Mysteries | Tagged Chloropidae, egg, egg sac, fly, frit fly, ichneumon wasp, Ichneumonidae, long-jawed orbweaver, parasitism, parasitoid, Phalacrotophora epeirae, Phoridae, scuttle fly, spider, spiderling, Tetragnatha, Tetragnathidae, Tromatobia ovivora, wasp | 1 Comment

Spider Parasitoid

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Charley Eiseman

I have much too much going on right now to be writing blog posts, but I’m waiting for an oil change at the moment, so let’s see what I can do… On the first night of our road trip we … Continue reading →