Tobacco Caterpillar Braconid vs Yellow-legged Aleocharine
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Tobacco Caterpillar Braconid | Yellow-legged Aleocharine |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Microplitis demolitor | Aleochara curtula |
| Order | Hymenoptera | Coleoptera |
| Family | Braconidae | Staphylinidae |
| Size | 2-4 mm | 5-8 mm |
| Habitat | Farmland | Farmland |
| Diet | Parasitoids | Predators |
| Regions | North America, South America, Australia | Europe, Asia |
| Conservation | Not Evaluated | Least Concern |
Tobacco Caterpillar Braconid
A small endoparasitoid wasp that injects polydnavirus along with its eggs into caterpillar hosts. It is an important natural enemy of soybean looper and corn earworm.
Did You Know?
It injects a symbiotic virus along with its eggs that suppresses the caterpillar's immune system.
Yellow-legged Aleocharine
A medium-sized aleocharine rove beetle whose larvae are parasitoids of fly pupae, a rare strategy among beetles. Adults are predators at carrion and dung where they also lay eggs.
Did You Know?
The larva enters a fly pupa, consumes the developing fly inside, and completes its own metamorphosis within the empty puparium.