The parasitic life of the demon moth

Source: alchetron.com

Huer

There are many types of insects that can parasitize, such as the most common parasitic wasps and parasitic flies.

However, not many people have probably seen parasitic moths, so today we will take a look at their mysterious life.

+ Moth+

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Epiricania hagoromo

Epipyropidae insects are typical parasitic Lepidoptera insects. Because their larvae parasitize on the body surface of Hemiptera insects such as Cicadidae and Cicadidae, they are often called cicada parasitic moths.

Source: alchetron.com

If you find a cicada in the wild with fat, fleshy worms crawling on its body for no apparent reason, it is likely that it is a poor insect parasitized by the larvae of a parasitic moth:

Source: inaturalist.ca

Source: inaturalist.ca

Sometimes they even gather in groups of two or three and parasitize the same host.

Source: www.jpmoth.org

There are 32 known species of parasitic moths in the world, belonging to 2 subfamilies and 9 genera, mainly distributed in tropical regions and warm temperate zones.

Source: www.flickr.com

Longan chicken moth

For example, the longan chicken moth Fulgoraecia bowringi, the adult body length is about 10 mm, the wingspan is about 23 mm, it is dark brown, and the forewings are scattered with silver-gray scales.

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The larvae parasitize on the back of the abdomen of the adult longan chicken. After being parasitized, the longan chicken moves more slowly, has a significantly weakened flying ability, and may also lose its reproductive ability.

Source: commons.wikimedia.org

Adult of the cicada moth

Epipomponia nawai is mainly distributed in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, my country. It has a wingspan of about 22 mm. The forewings are black with many metallic scales, while the hindwings are dark brown.

Source: www.wikiwand.com

Parasitic moth larvae that parasitize cicadas

These plump larvae are slug-shaped, with their heads retracted into their prothorax, and it is impossible to tell which side is the head and which side is the tail from the back.

Source: www.wikiwand.com

Dorsal and ventral surfaces of larvae

This is very similar to the familiar caterpillar (larva of the spiny moth), with its head and butt difficult to distinguish.

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Acharia nesea

Adult insects usually lay their eggs on trees where the host is active, and when the eggs hatch, they need to find a suitable host as soon as possible.

Egg source: www.jpmoth.org

However, it is still unclear how the larvae find their hosts. It is speculated that the larvae of the parasitic moth may complete the parasitism by distinguishing the frequency of the cicada's chirping. However, this makes it difficult to explain why the larvae of the parasitic moth also parasitize the silent female cicadas and mute cicadas.

1st instar larvae Source: www.wikiwand.com

Another hypothesis is that the larvae of the parasitic moth rely on long-distance pheromones to locate the host, but this hypothesis has not been verified.

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In order to firmly grasp the host, the larvae use the hooks of the toes to tightly attach to the intersegmental membrane on the back of the host's abdomen, so that they will not fall off even if they fly with the host. Moreover, the larvae are not motionless on the host, and they can move flexibly if necessary.

Source: www.jpmoth.org

At the same time, their heads will be inserted under the intersegmental membrane to suck body fluids, and they will slowly change from inconspicuous flesh-pink insects to white and fat "hair balls" (after the third instar, they begin to secrete white wax to cover their bodies).

Source: dailyparasite.blogspot.com

When ready to pupate, the larvae will expel a silk thread from its mouth, safely detach itself from the host, and transfer itself to a nearby branch or grass to pupate.

Source: www.wikiwand.com

The pupa is often in a white cocoon covered with a larval wax coat.

Source: www.wikiwand.com

After emerging from their pupae, the gray moths appear. Their mouthparts are degenerate and they cannot eat. The most important task in their short lives is to reproduce.

Source: astronomy-to-zoology.tumblr.com

The study found that female insects can lay eggs whether mating or not, which leads to the speculation that parthenogenesis may exist in the family Parasitic Moth, which is very rare in Lepidoptera.

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Sure enough, the monster is not simple no matter when it is a child or when it grows up!

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Image source: Google Source see watermark

Yu Qingqing. 2017. Research on cicada parasitic moths in China (Lepidoptera: Parasiticidae)

Master's degree thesis. Yangling: Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University

Wang Guangyuan, Huang Jian, Huang Bangkan. 2000.

Fulgora candelaria(L.) Biology

A preliminary study on the characteristics of .Journal of East China Entomology,9(1): 61-65

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