Yellow-legged Chalcid - Brachymeria ovata
Family Chalcididae
This page contains pictures and information about Yellow-legged Chalcid Wasps that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Body length 8mm
- This wasp is known parasite on pupae from many species include butterfly, moth, wasp, and Tachinidae that parasitizing moth. We found a few times this wasp parasites on moth and butterfly pupae.
- Chalcid Wasp parasite on Moth pupa
- Moth pupa length 15mm, wasp body length 5mm
- We found the moth pupa in a front yard during early summer. We brought it home and waited to see what kind of moth it would be. However we end up saw a small wasp came out from the Pupa. This unknown species wasp is shiny black in colour with yellow legs. Its wings are dark in colour. Its hind legs are enlarged. Its black antenna are short and elbowed.
Chalcid Wasp parasite on Tailed Emperor Butterfly pupa
- Butterflies Pupa length 20mm
- We found a green butterfly pupa in our backyard in late summer. We check that this looked like a Tailed Emperor Butterfly pupa (Polyura pyrrhus). However, about two weeks later, we saw there are many holes on the pupa and more than 20 Chalcid Wasps had came out from the pupa.
- Those wasps are shiny black in colour with yellow legs. Its wings are clean. Its hind legs are enlarged. They look very similar to the species above.
- Feb 2010 on the hill top of Anstead Forest, we found this parasited Tailed Emperor Butterfly pupa and Crow Butterfly pupa.
- Near by we found another Crow Butterfly pupa. There was the examining the pupa. The pupa looked still quite intacted.
- We brought the pupa home, three Chalcid Wasps came out after a few days.
- Reference:
- 1. Insects of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, p 961.
- 2. A field guide to insects in Australia - By Paul Zborowski and Ross Storey, Reed New Holland, 1996, p187.
