Cotesia Glomerata Wasp vs Goatweed Leafwing

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cotesia Glomerata Wasp Goatweed Leafwing
Scientific Name Cotesia glomerata Anaea andria
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Braconidae Nymphalidae
Size 2-3 mm 55-75 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Parasitoids Dung Feeders
Regions Europe, Asia, North America, Australia Central and Eastern United States, northern Mexico
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Cotesia Glomerata Wasp

A small gregarious parasitoid wasp that attacks cabbage white butterfly caterpillars. Dozens of larvae develop inside a single host.

💡

Did You Know?

Up to 60 wasp larvae can emerge from a single caterpillar, spinning yellow cocoons around the dying host.

Goatweed Leafwing

A bright orange butterfly whose angular wing shape and mottled brown underside create a perfect dead-leaf disguise when at rest. It almost never visits flowers.

💡

Did You Know?

It overwinters as an adult, hiding among dead leaves where its camouflage makes it virtually invisible.