Characteristics of the cocoon and natural history of the gregarious Meteorus restionis sp. n. (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Meteorinae) from Costa Rica
| Autor: | Gilbert Barrantes, Emilia Triana, Scot Shaw, Guinevere Jones |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2011 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Hymenoptera Research, Vol 20, Iss 0, Pp 9-21 (2011) |
| Druh dokumentu: | article |
| ISSN: | 1070-9428 1314-2607 |
| DOI: | 10.3897/jhr.29.867 |
| Popis: | A new species of a gregarious Meteorus wasp (Braconidae) constructs an unusual cocoon mass. Meteorus restionis sp. n. is described and distinguished from similar species. Cocoons of M. restionis are dark-brown, ovoid, and they are attached perpendicularly by their posterior end along a long, suspended cable. The cable is formed by intertwined, independent threads which are glued together at irregular intervals along its length, suggesting a certain degree of cooperation or at least tolerance among larvae during the construction of the cable. Intertwining and gluing the individual threads in a single cable presumably gives it a greater resistance against wind and other environmental stress. Prior to emergence the wasp cuts a neat, circular cap at the anterior end of its cocoon, and the cap remains attached by some threads to the rest of the cocoon. |
| Databáze: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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