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Issue: Vol. 4609 No. 1: 22 May 2019
Type: Article
Published: 2019-05-22
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4609.1.7
Page range: 149–159
Abstract views: 109
PDF downloaded: 5

Sand wasp (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) parasites emerging from mud wasp nests (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)—a reliable host record of Thraxan Yeates & Lambkin (Diptera: Bombyliidae: Anthracinae) with description of the pupal exuviae of three Thraxan species

Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO National Research Collections Australian, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO National Research Collections Australian, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO National Research Collections Australian, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
Hymenoptera host record pupal exuvia parasite Anthracini Diptera Australia

Abstract

Two female Thraxan sp. (Diptera: Bombyliidae: Anthracinae) emerged from parasitised Pison simillimum Smith (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) larvae found inside a Sceliphron formosum Smith (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) mud wasps nest. Thraxan sp. larvae are endoparasites of P. simillimum larvae. The endoparasite pupates inside the host larva, kills it, and emerges free of the host body. We describe and illustrate the pupal exuviae of the newly found species and two known species, T. luteus Yeates & Lambkin and T. misatulus Yeates & Lambkin, and we compare these pupal exuviae to those of Anthrax Scopoli.

 

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