Common Jezebel vs Aphid Mummy Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Jezebel Aphid Mummy Wasp
Scientific Name Delias eucharis Aphidius ervi
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Pieridae Braconidae
Size Wingspan 65-85mm 2-3 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Parasites Parasitoids
Regions Asia Europe, North America, South America, Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Common Jezebel

A medium butterfly with white uppersides and brilliantly colored red and yellow patterned undersides visible in flight. It often flies high in the canopy.

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Did You Know?

It feeds exclusively on mistletoe as a caterpillar making it one of the few butterflies dependent on parasitic plants.

Aphid Mummy Wasp

A tiny parasitoid wasp widely used in biological control of pea aphids and other large aphid species. It turns parasitized aphids into hardened golden-brown 'mummies' from which new wasps emerge.

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Did You Know?

Parasitized aphids swell into distinctive metallic 'mummies' before the adult wasp chews a neat exit hole to emerge.