CLOSED: Site of a Murder?

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Malus2006 Coon Rapids, MN(Zone 4a) Jul 05, 2009

I found this on a leaf during a high cycle of inchworms - the coccon and the head and part of the skin of the inchworm nearby. Can it be a parasite wasp?

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themoonhowl Prairieville, LA(Zone 9a) Jul 07, 2009

Geez, some parts of nature are really alien. There are some grisly critters out there. Here, we have the cicada wasp. It catches a cicada, hauls it off and after paralyzing the cicada, proceeds to lays its eggs inside the cicada. The cicada lives until the eggs hatch and the larva then eat the cicada from the inside out....explains where the idea for the movie Alien came from.

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suunto Sinks Grove, WV Jul 07, 2009

Although the oval object on the leaf could be a parasitic wasp cocoon, I feel it unlikely because these insects usually leave the remains of their victims fairly intact - see http://tinyurl.com/mqhtdm for an example.

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Malus2006 Coon Rapids, MN(Zone 4a) Jul 08, 2009

Could it be the caterpillar shedding its skin before cocooning itself? Or are two unreleated bug events occuring on the same leaf?

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suunto Sinks Grove, WV Jul 08, 2009

Larvae in this family usually drop to the ground before pupating in leaf litter or loose soil.

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