Apanteles sp.

(Insecta: Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Apanteles sp. is an endemic parasitoid of melonworm, Diaphania hyalinata Linnaeus, and pickleworm, Diaphania nitidalis (Stoll), two major pests of cucurbits in Florida.

The minute adult wasps are dark brown, almost black, with brown legs and transparent wings. Their antennae are very long, exceeding the body length. Last larval instars are creamy white and turn light brown when they emerge from the host. Cocoons are whitish.

Females lay one or two eggs into a host larva. Larval development inside the host larva can be completed in five days. The last larval instar emerges from the host and spins a cocoon that stays attached either to the host mummy or to the adjacent foliage. Inside the cocoon, the larva pupates, and after three to five days, the adult emerges.

Many species of Apanteles are known from the Old and New World.

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Adult female wasp of Apanteles sp.

(Photographer: Peter Bryant, University of California Irvine, with permission 2013-06-13)