Parasitoid-defense
Guides
Apantesis incorrupta
Immaculate Tiger Moth
Apantesis incorrupta is an arctiine tiger moth in the family Erebidae, described by Henry Edwards in 1881. It occurs across the southwestern United States and Mexico, inhabiting grasslands and open woodlands. The species produces two generations annually and is notable for research demonstrating larval self-medication behavior using alkaloid compounds to combat parasitoids. It was transferred from the genus Grammia to Apantesis in recent taxonomic revisions.
Asteromyia
Asteromyia is a genus of gall midges comprising approximately nine described species. Members of this genus induce distinct gall morphologies on host plants in the Asteraceae family, particularly Solidago (goldenrod) species. The genus is notable for complex ecological interactions, including obligate mutualisms with symbiotic fungi that form protective gall structures and mediate defense against parasitoids. Some species complexes exhibit incipient adaptive radiation with sympatric sibling species producing phenotypically distinct galls on the same host plant.
Asteromyia carbonifera
Carbonifera goldenrod gall midge
Asteromyia carbonifera is a gall midge that forms an obligate mutualistic relationship with the fungus Botryosphaeria dothidea. Females carry fungal conidia in specialized mycangia on the ovipositor and deposit them alongside eggs on Solidago host plants. The fungus induces gall formation, and larvae feed on fungal tissue within the gall. This insect-fungus mutualism is essential for successful development; neither partner can complete its life cycle independently under natural conditions.
Disholcaspis
Disholcaspis is a genus of gall wasps in the family Cynipidae containing more than 40 described species. Species in this genus induce characteristic galls on oak trees (Quercus spp.), with gall morphology varying by species and generation. Some species produce galls that secrete honeydew, establishing facultative mutualisms with ants that defend the galls from parasitoids. The genus exhibits heterogony, with alternating sexual and parthenogenetic asexual generations that typically produce different gall forms.
Lema daturaphila
Three-lined Potato Beetle
Lema daturaphila, the three-lined potato beetle, is a leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. Native to Central and North America, it has spread to other regions including Africa and Oceania. Adults measure 7–8 mm and display bright orange-yellow coloration with three dark longitudinal stripes on the elytra. The species is a specialist herbivore of Solanaceae plants, particularly Datura species, though it occasionally feeds on agricultural crops such as tomato, potato, and eggplant. Larvae are slug-like with black heads and exhibit a distinctive defense behavior of covering themselves with excrement.
Ophiomyia maura
Ophiomyia maura is a leaf-mining fly in the family Agromyzidae. The species creates distinctive linear white mines on the upper leaf surfaces of host plants in the genus Aster. Larvae feed selectively on palisade parenchyma tissues, exhibiting complex mining patterns that serve defensive functions against parasitoids. The species has been documented from Japan, Alaska, and Manitoba, with European records from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.