What is happening to this polyphemus moth cocoon?
Unfortunately, I’ll not be rewarded with a large, beautiful Polyphemus moth this spring, as this caterpillar was parasitized by a Tachinid fly. Most of the time, when you hear about caterpillars being parasitized it is by small parasitoid wasps. Tachinidae is a diverse family of parasitic flies that can parasitize a wide range of insects (including those pesky leaffooted bugs in my garden). Tachinid flies often look like house flies, but a bit hairier.
This very large caterpillar (one of the largest in North America!) provided a lot of food for a Tachinid fly’s offspring. About 50 maggots crawled out of the moth’s cocoon and currently remain as pupae on the bottom of the container I collected the caterpillar in. Read additional info and see pictures of Polyphemus moths here.
This week’s question is from Tom Bilbo, Extension Vegetable Entomologist.
The South Carolina Grower 