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Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae

  •   38caterpillar
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-04-18 12:55:09

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    caterpillar
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 38
  •   39caterpillar
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-04-18 12:55:24

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    caterpillar
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 39
  •   40caterpillar
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-04-18 12:55:36

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    caterpillar
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 40
  •   41caterpillar
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-04-19 15:02:16

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    caterpillar
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 41
  •   42caterpillar
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-05-01 10:47:35

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    caterpillar
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 42
  •   43caterpillar
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-05-01 19:03:33

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    caterpillar
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 43
  •   44caterpillar
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-05-01 19:04:00

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    caterpillar
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 44
  •   45
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-05-18 15:29:57

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae

    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 45
  •   46
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-05-18 15:30:51

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae

    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 46
  •   47
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-06-08 14:34:19

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae

    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 47
  •   48cocoons
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-06-08 14:42:12

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    cocoons
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 48
  •   49cocoons
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-06-20 16:47:06

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    cocoons
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 49
  •   50cocoons
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-06-27 09:25:49

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    cocoons
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 50
  •   51cocoons
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-06-27 09:25:54

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    cocoons
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 51
  •   52bottom view
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-06-27 09:43:02

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    bottom view
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 52
  •   53male
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-06-27 09:41:21

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 53
  •   54female
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-06-27 09:43:02

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 54
  •   57female
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-07-03 11:08:48

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 57
  •   55female
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-06-24 15:57:33

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 55
  •   56female
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2020-06-24 16:05:39

    4   Raupe einer Grasbüscheleule (Apamea sp.) mit Endoparasitoiden - Hymenoptera: Braconidae  Owlet moth caterpillar (Apamea sp.) with endoparasitoids - Hymenoptera: Braconidae
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    Image number: 56

I found the caterpillar of an owled moth shown here under a piece of dead wood at the edge of a forest on April 18. After potting a few small tufts of grass in a container suitable for breeding I put the caterpillar in. It disappeared underground on April 9th and reappeared on April 30th, when only a few grass leaves were still green. On May 1st there was a short photo session and fresh grass bushes were delivered. After that the caterpillar submerged again and did not come to the surface again.
On May 18, I carefully inspected the contents of the container. The caterpillar had disappeared. No pupa was to be found either. In the earth there was only a brownish felt-like bulb. On 8 June I used tweezers to partially detach the felted outer layer of the nodule and on 20 June I removed further fibres. After uncovering, a thick round disc consisting of upright small wasp cocoons became visible.
From these cocoons, 5 female wasps hatched on the same day. One week later, another plucking action surprisingly led immediately to the hatching of 5 more wasps (4 females and 1 male). The hatched wasps have a body length of about 5 mm.