Cotesia glomerata parasitoid wasp attacks and develops in

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Play, download and edit the free video Cotesia glomerata parasitoid wasp attacks and develops in caterpillar.

The larval endoparasitoid wasp Cotesia glomerata attacks the caterpillars of the Large white butterfly, Pieris brassicae. She inserts her ovipositor in the body of the caterpillars and quickly lays some 20-30 eggs.The caterpillars spit and bite the wasp to defend themselves, but many will have the parasitoid's eggs inside, which will soon develop into larvae. Both the caterpillars and the parasitoid larvae continue to grow untill both are fully developed. You can see the maggot like larvae in a part of the movie where the skin of the caterpillar has been made transparent. Just before the caterpillar would normally moult into a pupa, the parasitoid larvae eat themselves through the skin and start spinning a cocoon in which they will continue their development to pupa and adult wasp. The caterpillar still lives, but it's behaviour is manipulated. It will protect the parasitoid wasps from attackers, such as hyperparasitoids, and spins a protective layer of silk over the cluster of cocoons. After some days it will die because it's energy reserves have been fully exploited by the developing parasitoid larva. Then the adult wasps emerge from their cocoons to mate and start a new cycle

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