Perilampus chrysopae

Canada: recorded from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and New Brunswick.

Hyperparasitic; larvae feed on primary parasitoids within lacewing larvae (Chrysopidae).

• Chrysopidae - primary host (secondary host in hyperparasitic chain)Species epithet 'chrysopae' directly indicates lacewing host association

Females broadcast eggs on vegetation and other surfaces. Hatched planidium larvae are mobile and use mandibles to attach to passing insects. Successful planidia penetrate secondary host cuticle, locate primary parasitoid host within, and enter it. The perilampid larva waits until the primary host pupates, then exits and feeds externally as a grub-like larva through two to three instars before pupating inside the host cocoon or puparium.

Planidium larvae exhibit active host-seeking behavior, attaching to moving objects with mandibles. This broadcast reproductive strategy results in high egg mortality but enables exploitation of hosts that are difficult to locate directly.

Hyperparasitoid that regulates populations of primary parasitoids, potentially influencing biological control efficacy of lacewings and their parasitoids.

• Chrysididae (cuckoo wasps)Similar small size, metallic coloration, and association with aphid colonies and extrafloral nectaries; distinguished by oval or rounded abdomen without sharp corners versus triangular or inverted pyramid-shaped abdomen in Perilampidae
• Other Perilampus speciesShare hyperparasitic life cycle and broadcast egg-laying strategy; specific host associations and subtle morphological differences separate species

• hyperparasitoid
• planidium
• Chrysopidae
• lacewing parasite
• broadcast spawning
• Canadian fauna

• BugGuide
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Encyrtid Holdings | Entomology Research Museum
• Bug Eric: Wasp Wednesday: Perilampid Wasps