''Barycnemis blediator'' is a small
parasitic wasp
Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps (Orussoidea) being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids, they lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods, sooner or later causi ...
. It lays its eggs in the
larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) 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.
...
e of the
salt marsh
A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...
rove beetle
The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra (wing covers) that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With roughly 63,000 species in thousands of genera, the ...
, ''
Bledius spectabilis
''Bledius spectabilis'', commonly known as the magnificent salt beetle, is a species of small rove beetle.
Description
This beetle is 5 to 7 millimetres long and has brightly coloured legs. The wing covers are brownish and as wide as they are ...
'', which shows unusual behaviour for an insect in that it actively protects its young from the wasp.
References
Ichneumonidae
Insects described in 1970
{{Ichneumonidae-stub