Characteristics of the cocoon and natural history of the gregarious Meteorus restionis sp. n. (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Meteorinae) from Costa Rica
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| Auteurs: | , , , |
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| Format: | artículo original |
| Date de publication: | 2011 |
| Description: | 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. |
| Pays: | Kérwá |
| Institution: | Universidad de Costa Rica |
| Repositorio: | Kérwá |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:kerwa.ucr.ac.cr:10669/79061 |
| Accès en ligne: | https://hdl.handle.net/10669/79061 |
| Mots-clés: | cocoon traits gregarious species sex ratio |