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148
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
Fig. 1. Remains of parasitized, young caterpillar of Megalopyge opercularis showing the hole from which the adult Hyposoter fiigitivus emerged.
other larvae found at that time measured ca. 20 mm in length. All the larvae were transferred to artificial diet. Three days later, two adults of Hyposoter fiigitivus (Say) appeared in the container. On the examination of the larvae the parasitized ones were found. Nothing was left of the host except transparent cuticle attached to the leaf of the host plant. There was a 1.5 mm hole between the hairs from which the adult wasp emerged (Fig. 1). The wasp is parasitic on young puss caterpillars. Parasitism apparently resulted in the paralysis and death of the larva, which accounts for their underdevelopment. The parasite pupated within the host and emerged as adult.
Cocoons of puss caterpillar are known to be parasitized by an ichneumonid wasp. However, this is the first record of an ichneumonid wasp parasitic on the larvae of this host.
I am grateful to Dr. R. W. Carlson, Systematic Entomology Laboratory, IIBIII, for the identification of the wasp.
Kamel T. Khalaf, Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118.
WOODPECKER FEEDING ON CALLOSAMIA PROMETHEA (SATURNIIDAE) COCOON
About midday on 15 March 1975, while on a combined bird-walk and cocoon hunt along Bean Creek, near Morenci in Lenawee Co., Michigan, I observed a Downy Woodpecker, Dryobates pubescens mecUanus (Swainson), feeding on a live Callosamia promethea Drury cocoon. The day was bright, although cloudy, with temperatures in the forties—ideal weather for such activities. My attention was
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drawn to the woodpecker as it landed in a Wild Black Cherry, Prunus serotina Ehrh., approximately 25 ft above the creek bank. I focused my 6-12 X 32 zoom binoculars on the woodpecker and observed that it had spotted the suspended cocoon about 2 ft away on a small lateral branch. It then flew to the cocoon, landed on the lower end and proceeded to peck into the cocoon. The woodpecker was clinging upside down while it fed on the cocoon from 1202-1209 EST, and then flew away. While I was observing this predator, another Downy Woodpecker flew into the same tree about 3 ft above the first one. It had spotted another C. promethea cocoon and studied it for about one minute before flying away without actually landing on the cocoon as had the first woodpecker.
After retrieving both cocoons and cutting them open, I found that the first woodpecker had completely emptied the pupal contents through a hole about 2 mm in diameter at the thickest part of the cocoon, while the other cocoon contained a parasitized pupa. One can only speculate how these woodpeckers can discriminate between cocoons containing live or dead pupa prior to actually pecking and penetrating the cocoon! Waldbauer et al. (1970, Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer. 63: 1366-1369) reported Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, D. villosus (L.), feeding on cocoons of Hyalophora cecropia (L.) under field and captive conditions. Their observations suggest that woodpeckers may, without making a hole, identify cocoons that contain live pupae. They also reported evidence, although no field observations were cited, of woodpecker attacks on Antheraea polyphemus (Cramer) and C. promethea cocoons.
This was my first observation of cocoon predation in 30 years of field experiences in Michigan, although several other saturniid cocoons have been found which show evidence of woodpecker attacks. It would appear that similar field observations are either rarely made or reported by lepidopterists.
M. C. Nielsen, 3415 Overlea Drive, Lansing, Michigan 48917.