birds_and_wasps's Favorites

This individual emerged from a cocoon (see last image in series) suspended in the vacant web of Parasteatoda tepidariorum. I will work on getting the appropriate images to key it to species, if possible and update these images as I can. Images of this larva and another of the same suspected species can be seen at:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/61688452

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/61688277

Same species of Zatypota as i saw yesterday:
Https://iNaturalist.org/observations/189055793

Here's the host spider details:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/189147426

Here's a video of it attacking a spider:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3UA1VTEA8w

After she attacked the spider dropped off the line onto my arm and i placed the web back on the top of the shed, she took notice and went up to do her deed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gU7CcuDeGM

Found under a romaine lettuce leaf. Hard and dry to the touch, and seems to be steadfast about remaining in place when gently prodded. Note slightly raised posterior. I put it in a jar with a dribble of water to keep the lettuce moist, and it hatched on Aug 22! That obs can be seen here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/184034156

I am guessing it is a parasitic wasp and that the chrysalis was a different species, but guidance welcome!

Looks like this lady wasn't hanging out near my bee hotel for nothing.

There currently are other wasps (link to observation: Passaloecus?) building their nests inside the smaller tubes of the bee hotel, and this wasp went right for one nest that looked half-finished, and then later on tried to stick her ovipositor into what looked like a finished, plugged nest.

The last picture shows the ichneumonid wasp together with the host species.

Found on American Sycamore (182127709).
Parasitized some kind of spider (182127714).
It was hard to photograph; the lighting was a challenge, and the larva was very alert. When I moved the branch for better lighting, the larva began to flail around. It was a little comical, like: "I have a dead spider and I'm not afraid to use it!" Um, dead spider.
It was interesting the way it would form a circle, as if mimicking the spider's abdomen to give the illusion of a live spider.
I rechecked it about 3 hours later (182127715) and it had dropped the spider. (No sign of the spider; likely scavenged by ants.)
Looked again the next day (182127718) and it was building a cocoon.

Found on American Sycamore (182127709).
Originally seen 2 days prior (182127713), still holding onto the remnants of its spider host. Revisited 1 day ago (182127718); then it was spinning its cocoon and I could still see the larva moving inside.
I can still see some movement, but it seems more compressed and less active. Possibly now a pupa?
I was surprised that the cocoon hasn't amounted to anything but a thin, loose structure. There are now tiny droplets at the bottom. We did have a tiny bit of rain; just sprinkles, and for a short time. This should have been pretty well sheltered, though.