Sunday 13 May 2012

Triangle Plume (Platyptilia gonodactyla) larva and pupae

Having located a large stand of Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) earlier in the year, I went back this weekend lo look for the early stages of the Triangle Plume moth. The larvae feed within the seedhead of Coltsfoot at this time of year and I managed to find one larva and three pupae.
As I was hoping to find evidence of parasitism by the braconid Microgaster alebion I will have to go back and look for some more larvae, the parasitoid would not have allowed its host to reach the pupal stage.