@eLife

#wasplove clearly!

“Decoding the genetic and chemical basis of sexual attractiveness in parasitic wasps” by Sun et al. 2023 https://elifesciences.org/articles/86182

#Hymenoptera #wasps #entomology #insects #parasitoids

@flypapers

“parasitoids had a higher number of heritable viruses compared to their hosts, suggesting that this lifestyle favours the association with viruses.”

#parasitoids #viruses #entomology

Arthropod Photo of the Week: July 19, 2023
Tobacco hornworm with parasitic wasp pupae
Manduca sexta / Cotesia congregate
Lepidoptera: Sphingidae / Hymenoptera: Braconidae
By Jay Hirsh, Virginia, USA (https://bio.as.virginia.edu/people/jh6u)
#arthropodPOTW
#entomology #insects #parasitoids #photography

The first flying creature I noticed in Santa Barbara, California, was a hummingbird. The second one a parasitoid wasp. Both good bioindicadors.

Ichneumonid wasp with a long ovipositor http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/172581327

Diplazon sp., a hoverfly parasitoid http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/172585655

Aporus sp., a spider wasp of ground-burrowing spiders of spectacular light and dark blue colours http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/172591393

Pteromalinae, a tiny parasitoid wasp of green metalic colours http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/172591447

#iNaturalist #wasps #Hymenoptera #wasplove #parasitoids #insects #entomology

Parasitoid wasp, Ichneumon sp. http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/169795961

#Pembroke1347 #iNaturalist #entomology #insects #Hymenoptera #wasps #parasitoids

@Woodchaz @futurebird
somewhere there must be a list of all the parasitoids (mainly flies and wasps I think?) that have been imported into N. America to control some species of invasive insect. I wonder if anyone can find this list?

#parasitoids
#phorid
#wasp
#biocontrol

New publication: Many #parasitoids lack adult fat accumulation, despite fatty acid synthesis: A discussion of concepts and considerations for future research. #parasiticwasp #nutrients #metabolism
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cris.2023.100055

Conservation biological control in agriculture aims at creating a better environment for #parasitoids and #predators by providing resources like nectar from flowers - review of the chemical #ecology of floral resources in this system by Stefano Colazza and others (see Annual Review of Entomology, 2023, vol. 68, pp. 13-29, @AnnualReviews) - https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-120220-124357

James H. Tumlinson (1938 - 2022) - a pioneer in the chemical ecology of #insects and #plants - working for USDA-ARS and Penn State he did ground-breaking research on pheromones (e.g. he discovered Grandlure for boll weevils), or on the complex communication between #pests, #plants and #parasitoids - autobiography in Annual Review of Entomology (@AnnualReviews) - https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-021622-111028

The #fungal zombies in #HBO's 'The Last of Us' are based on real, horrifying biology

#Cordyceps #parasitoids

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-fungal-zombies-hbo-based-real.html

@alexwild Fortunately, the book “Parasitoids” by HCJ Godfray has a lot of fascinating detail on the many #hymenoptera (and also #diptera) beyond their taxonomy—development, mating, oviposition, and what not—, but it pains me that some of its pages and family references are now out of date: I haven’t finished reading it yet!
#parasitoids #wasps #entomology

@arachnonaut How interesting, a wasp that parasitises spider egg sacks—one for #entomology #insects #wasplove #hymenoptera #parasitoids #spiders

Spiky! The tachinid #fly Tachina lurida - these #flies are sometimes called punk flies from their spiky hairstyles, and are #parasitoids of other #insects. This fly uses moth caterpillars as the host for its larvae. From Buckinghamshire last April.

If you live (as I do) in a cool/cold temperate climate, and can't wait for spring to bring you some nice insects, don't hesitate to collect some #galls in late winter/early spring and rear out the gallers and their #parasitoids!