
Parasitoid Wasp - Subfamily Braconinae
On 8/2/25, I spotted a bunch of Acharia stimulea caterpillars on oak (Quercus). They were very vibrant:
But, one caterpillar was pale. I thought that maybe it had recently molted and was in the process of darkening. Out of curiosity, I took it home to rear.
By 8/8/25, the caterpillar had stopped moving. But, I could see something moving INSIDE of it. The caterpillar itself looked like an empty shell that was housing something...
On 8/16/25, a wasp emerged from the parasitized caterpillar. I preserved the wasp in 70% EtOH and am hoping it can be IDed at some point.
Videos that show the developing wasp moving inside the caterpillar. These videos are not dramatic, but you can see the slight movements:
No species identified
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