''Exorista larvarum'' is a
Palaearctic species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
fly
Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Tachinidae.
Hosts
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...
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.
The ...
e, mainly
Lymantriidae and
Lasiocampidae
The Lasiocampidae are a family of moths also known as eggars, tent caterpillars, snout moths (although this also refers to the Pyralidae), or lappet moths. Over 2,000 species occur worldwide, and probably not all have been named or studied. It i ...
. It attacks ''
Lymantria dispar dispar''.
[The Gypsy Moth: Research Toward Integrated Pest Management, United States Department of Agriculture, 1981] Studies have been conducted into its ability to successfully prey on ''
Mythimna unipuncta
''Mythimna unipuncta'', the true armyworm moth, white-speck moth, common armyworm or rice armyworm, is a nocturnal agricultural pest belonging to the family Noctuidae. This moth is also commonly referred to by the scientific name ''Pseudaletia ...
'' and ''
Cydalima perspectalis
''Cydalima perspectalis'' or the box tree moth is a species of moth of the family Crambidae, first described by Francis Walker, the English entomologist, in 1859. Native to Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, far-east Russia and India, it has invade ...
''.
Parasitic nature
It lays an egg on its host. The egg hatches and the larva penetrates the host.
The host could escape this fate by molting before the egg hatches.
Artificial Diets
For rearing ''Exorista larvarum'' in controlled conditions, inexpensive diets are preferable. MEYS contains liquid skimmed milk, chicken egg yolk, yeast extract and saccharose and HEYS contains veal homogenate, chicken egg yolk, yeast extract and saccharose.
[Chiappini, Elisabetta; Dindo, Maria Luisa; Negri, Ilaria; Sighinolfi, Luca. "In vitro rearing of Anagrus breviphragma (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), an egg parasitoid of Cicadella viridis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), from second instar larva to adult on diets without insect components." European Journal of Entomology. Institute of Entomology Czech Academy of Sciences. 2004. Retrieved September 26, 2012 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-833056621.html Subscription required.] Though many variations of the diet yield different results.
[MELLINI E. & CAMPADELLI G. 1995: Formulas for "inexpensive" artificial diets for the parasitoid Exorista larvarum (L.). Boll. Ist. Entomol. "Guida Grandi" Univ. Bologna 50: 95-106.http://www.bulletinofinsectology.org/pdfarticles/vol50-1996-095-106mellini.pdf] Larvae have a tendency to wander, which can result in starvation, reducing wander is important for maximizing yields.
References
Exoristinae
Diptera of Europe
Flies described in 1758
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{Exoristinae-stub