''Nealiolus curculionis'' is a
species of parasitic wasp in the family
Braconidae. It is a
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 ...
of the sunflower stem weevil ''
Cylindrocopturus adspersus'',
and a number of other species of stem-boring weevils.
Description
''Nealiolus curculionis'' has a body length of just under . It has an oval shape, a moderately-curved
carapace
A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
and a transverse
clypeus, and the third
tergite is finely sculpted with longitudinal lines. The color is basically black apart from the legs, which are brown, the dark brown
antennae, the brown clypeus and
mandibles, the brown
ovipositor
The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typical ...
and the dark brown tip of the abdomen.
Distribution
This wasp is found in Canada, the United States and Mexico, and has also been recorded in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Venezuela.
[
]
Life cycle
This wasp shows a considerable degree of synchronization with its host species. When parasitizing the sunflower stem weevil, the female wasp lays a single egg into a first instar larva, which feeds just under the epidermis of the stem where it is within reach of the wasp's ovipositor. By the winter, the host larva is fully developed and enters diapause in a chamber near the base of the plant. The wasp larva, still contained within its living host, also enters diapause. In the spring, the wasp larva resumes feeding and after about 21 days chews its way out, feeding on the weevil larval carcase before pupating. The adult wasp emerges about ten days later, and is on the wing between June and August, with males emerging a few days before females.[
]
Hosts
In the United States, the sunflower stem weevil (''C. adspersus'') is the most common host species, but other larvae parasitised include the red sunflower seed weevil (''Smicronyx fulvus''), the boll weevil (''Anthonomus grandis''), the plum curculio
The plum curculio (''Conotrachelus nenuphar'') is a true weevil native to the regions east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. It is notorious for destroying fruits if left uncontrolled.
Life stages
A female curculio use ...
(''Conotrachelus nenuphar''),[ and the potato stalk borer (''Trichobaris trinotata'').][
]
References
{{Taxonbar , from=Q2571020
Parasitic wasps
Hymenoptera of North America
Hymenoptera of South America
Insects described in 1859