''Cotesia marginiventris'' is a species of
parasitoid
In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...
wasp that develops in
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...
caterpillars. It can be found in the Americas. The wasp finds caterpillar hosts to rear its young in by detecting the volatiles produced by the plants that the herbivorous caterpillars feed on.
References
Microgastrinae
Biological pest control wasps
Hymenoptera of North America
Hymenoptera of South America
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