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Hi,

If you remember just few days ago I tried to identify a Lepidoptera caterpillar and was surprise to get a Tachinid from it http://www.dipter...rowstart=0
Well I went to the same Chrozophora obliqua and found another caterpillar looks like the same as the first with the same bite in the same place. coincidental ?? Or that Leskiini always bit on the same place?

I'm keeping this one to see what?s get out, but we still have a small problem. Last time the enthusiasm was about matching Tachinid + host and I still don't know which moth's caterpillar is it. This is why I collected it from the beginning.

I'll keep updating this post after the fly'll get out (about a week) and meanwhile any identification on this caterpillar is welcome.

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Good work - well spotted Looks like a parasitized larvae to me but I don't think we can say what it is yet.

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To me it seems some kind of Chinese black ink on caterpillar. lol
Good try. lol

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Please do collect the specimen, if one pops up, this time !!

Theo

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update:
caterpillar turn into a 6mm pupa. I'm not sure if it's the caterpillar pupa or the fly pupa. What do you say?
If this is a Tachinid pupa I guess the dirt around it are the remains of the caterpillar body.

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That would be my guess Sounds like an ideal scanario ... much more exciting to have a tachinid from your larvae than boring old butterflies or moths Let us know what happens - we wait with baited breath!

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Hatched

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and dorsal view

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great, it still looks like Leskiini.

I guess you will collect it this time.

If you want me to have a look at it, please send an persoanl mail.


Theo

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Sent PM.

Do you need any close up photo for identification? or is it completely unidentifiable from photo?

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When identifying from a photo you really can only do species that you are confident about because you have seen many before and have keyed them to make 100% sure they are what you think they are - very rarely can you see all features needed by the major keys (eg. the episternum would be impossible to see if it was needed). I don't think Theo would like to venture a name for something unusual and outside his normal geographical area without keying the specimen

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Chris is a terrific mind-reader.


Theo

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I got the specimen, thanks to Zcuc.
And it's a male of Fischeria bicolor, closely related to Solieria.
This is a quite rare Mediterrean species, so far as I know reared only once:from Alophia combustella, a caterpillar carnivorous on Aphids on Pistacea.
So, A great discovery. Now we need to get more info on the host.

Thanks to Zcuc,


Theo

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Great record - and a good demonstration of how anyone can make new and important discoveries with tachinids ... with a little help from the experts More rearing records please!

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I just learned that there have been more reared cases of Fischeria, unpublished, hosts so far in Pyralidae and Tortricidae.
So I hope somebody might ID the host from picture to at least family level ?

Theo

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show me the photos of the host. I can tell the possible family. I know some lepidopteran families.

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Jorge, on top of this thread and a second host in the link given there.


Theo

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You'll have to recognize the caterpillar. Hosts do not survive the parazitization by Tachinids.

My feeling is that this larva will not add a new family as far as potential hosts are concerned.

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ok... I slept only 2 hours today.
It is Noctuidae - Noctua pronuba - probably.