Japanese beetle Parasite

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Beetleman
Posts: 362
Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2006 8:41 am
Location: Southern New Hampshire USA

Japanese beetle Parasite

Post by Beetleman »

Found this Beetle with what looked to be some sort of eggs on its` thorax. I did a little internet search and came up with this...sounds close to what it looks like.

QUOTE
Istocheta (=Hyperecteina) aldrichi is a tachinid fly native to central and northern Japan that parasitizes adult Japanese beetles. It was first introduced in the United States in 1922.
I. aldrichi overwinters in a puparium within the body of the dead host in the soil. The adult flies appear from mid-June to mid-July in New Jersey and feed on aphid honeydew and nectar. The females attach an egg on the thorax of newly emerged beetles. Each female can deposit up to 100 eggs over a 2 week period. The egg hatches in 24 hours and the maggot burrows into the body cavity of the beetle to feed internally. The larvae kill the beetles in about 5-6 days (compared to the 4-6 week life span of a non-parasitized adult), during which time the beetles bury themselves in the ground.
Because the fly kills the beetle so rapidly, a large portion of the female beetle population, especially those emerging early, are killed before they are able to deposit their first eggs. However, because the fly is not well synchronized with its host in the U.S. -- the flies emerge several weeks before the beetles do-- I. aldrichi only affects the first emerging beetles and disappears long before the peak of beetle emergence is reached.
During the 1930's and 40's this fly was of only minor importance, but by the late 1970's was found to be parasitizing about 20% of the adult Japanese beetles in Connecticut.
- Susan Mahr, University of Wisconsin

Also See:
http://www.nadsdiptera.org/Tach/Gen/tachintr.htm

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Jody Melanson
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Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2005 6:26 pm
Location: Canada
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Post by Jody Melanson »

Looks like someone has been throwing eggs at him! :D
Jody Melanson, Capturer of God's Creations.

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