Tachina fera
Encyclopedia
Tachina fera is a species of fly
in the genus Tachina
of the family Tachinidae
. It is found across Europe
as far north as Scandinavia
. Its larvae are parasitoid
s of the caterpillar
s of moth
s in the family Noctuidae
; afflicted species include the Broom Moth Ceramica pisi
, the Dun-Bar Cosmia trapezina, Small Quaker Orthosia cruda
and Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi.
Fly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
in the genus Tachina
Tachina
Tachina is a genus of large flies in the family Tachinidae, most have larvae that are parasitoids of Lepidopteran caterpillars. There are approximately 600 species worldwide.-Species:*Subgenus Eudoromyia Bezzi, 1906...
of the family Tachinidae
Tachinidae
Tachinidae is a large and rather variable family of true flies within the insect order Diptera, with more than 8,200 known species and many more to be discovered. There are over 1300 species in North America. Insects in this family are commonly called tachina flies or simply tachinids...
. It is found across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as far north as Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. Its larvae are parasitoid
Parasitoid
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...
s of the caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s of moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s in the family Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
; afflicted species include the Broom Moth Ceramica pisi
Ceramica pisi
The Broom Moth is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in all of Europe, east up to eastern Asia. In the north, it is found far beyond the Arctic Circle. In the Alps, it is found up to heights of up to 2,000 meters....
, the Dun-Bar Cosmia trapezina, Small Quaker Orthosia cruda
Orthosia cruda
The Small Quaker is a moth of the family Noctuoidea. It is found in Europe, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey, the Caucasus, Transcaucasia en Kazakhstan, Israel, Lebanon, Cyprus and Jordan.The wingspan is 28–32 mm...
and Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi.