Latibulus
Encyclopedia
Latibulus argiolus is a wasp
in the family Ichneumonidae
. The name is a senior synonym of Endurus argiolus.
which lies in wait in the near proximity of a Polistes
paper wasp nest waiting for an opportunity for penetration and then, within a few seconds, lays an egg into a nest cell. The biology of the larva
is unknown. There are two generations per year. The first emerges in the summer after pupa
tion takes place in a yellowish cocoon within the cell; the second generation winters in a brown, resistant cocoon. The pupa of the second generation is able to break through the cell cover by making jerky movements. The pupa falls to the ground, looks for a recess by making rolling movements, and winters there.
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
in the family Ichneumonidae
Ichneumonidae
Ichneumonidae is a family within the insect order Hymenoptera. Insects in this family are commonly called ichneumon wasps. Less exact terms are ichneumon flies , or scorpion wasps due to the extreme lengthening and curving of the abdomen...
. The name is a senior synonym of Endurus argiolus.
Biology
Latibulus argiolus is a parasitoidParasitoid
A parasitoid is an organism that spends a significant portion of its life history attached to or within a single host organism in a relationship that is in essence parasitic; unlike a true parasite, however, it ultimately sterilises or kills, and sometimes consumes, the host...
which lies in wait in the near proximity of a Polistes
Polistes
Wasps of the cosmopolitan genus Polistes are the most familiar of the polistine wasps, and are the most common type of paper wasp. It is also the single largest genus within the family Vespidae, with over 300 recognized species and subspecies...
paper wasp nest waiting for an opportunity for penetration and then, within a few seconds, lays an egg into a nest cell. The biology of the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
is unknown. There are two generations per year. The first emerges in the summer after pupa
Pupa
A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago...
tion takes place in a yellowish cocoon within the cell; the second generation winters in a brown, resistant cocoon. The pupa of the second generation is able to break through the cell cover by making jerky movements. The pupa falls to the ground, looks for a recess by making rolling movements, and winters there.