Monday 9 April 2012

Timothy Tortix larva



I was out at the Denso Marston Nature Reserve looking for caterpillars on the various grasses.

Although my target species were the leaf-mining members of the Elachista family I was still pleased to find this tortrix larva hiding in spun-together blades of grass on the banks of The River Aire.

I suspect that it is the polyphagous Aphelia paleana but will rear it through to check.

Sunday 1 April 2012

Pteromalus semotus



This Pteromalus semotus has emerged from the larval web of White Satin Moth (Leucoma salicis) found at Hull, VC61. It is actually a hyperparasitoid, the primary parasitoid of the moth being the braconid Cotesia melanoscela.

Two other chalcids emerged from the web, a little blue one (as yet unidentified) and a Eurytomidae (probably Eurytoma).