Common Name: Ladybird Beetle Wasp Latin Name:
Dinocampus coccinellae Schrank, 1802
(R.
Bercha, det.)
Length: ~4 mm
Range: Throughout Alberta
Habitat:
Various
Time of year seen: Spring
to Fall
Larva: Parasites of Lady Beetles
Other: Dinocampus coccinellae belongs to the family braconidae,
a family of tiny parasitic wasps. The wasp oviposits a single egg into
an adult ladybird beetle. Interestingly, the Seven-spot ladybug seems
to be the preferred host. 5 to 7 days after, the egg hatches and the
larvae emerges and begins to consume the ladybugs body fat and gonads.
The larva does not eat the ladybugs vital organs and as such the ladybug
will live for a short time after the larva emerges. Upon reaching
maturity (18 to 27 days) the larva severs the nerves to the ladybugs legs
and emerges to spin a cocoon below the ladybird, attaching it to a leaf or
tree trunk. The ladybugs bold red and black warning colors may
serve to keep predators away until the wasp emerges in 6 to 9 days.
(Geoghegan, I., Scottish Crop Research Institute) |