Disgusting....
This is the reason I take in every Monarch egg and caterpillar....
Tachinid fly larvae feed on monarch caterpillars, but usually don't kill their hosts until just before the caterpillars pupate. When a parasitized caterpillar hangs upside down in the pre-pupal “J”-shape, several tachinid fly larvae or maggots will come out of the monarch caterpillar.
1,447
views
52
faves
10
comments
Uploaded on September 9, 2021
Taken on September 8, 2021
Disgusting....
This is the reason I take in every Monarch egg and caterpillar....
Tachinid fly larvae feed on monarch caterpillars, but usually don't kill their hosts until just before the caterpillars pupate. When a parasitized caterpillar hangs upside down in the pre-pupal “J”-shape, several tachinid fly larvae or maggots will come out of the monarch caterpillar.
1,447
views
52
faves
10
comments
Uploaded on September 9, 2021
Taken on September 8, 2021