"parasitism"

#12483571

17 June 2025

A spider wasp (family Pompilidae) is seen paralyzing a large huntsman spider and attempting to drag it up a wall., on June 17, 2025. Spider wasps--also known as spider-hunting wasps--paralyze spiders with their sting before laying eggs inside the spider's abdomen. The developing larvae feed on the still-living host, eventually consuming it entirely.

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#11545360

4 September 2024

Papilio polytes, commonly known as the Common Mormon, is a species of swallowtail butterfly widely distributed across Asia. This butterfly is renowned for the mimicry displayed by its numerous forms. The caterpillars of the Common Mormon can negatively impact crop yields. Interestingly, these caterpillars resemble bird droppings while resting on leaves, which helps them avoid predators. However, they are heavily parasitized by chalcidoid wasps, with over a hundred tiny wasps eventually emerging from each pupa. On September 4, 2024, in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, a tiny Common Mormon caterpillar was observed feeding on plant leaves, nearly camouflaged as it blended with the branches.

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#11545361

4 September 2024

Papilio polytes, commonly known as the Common Mormon, is a species of swallowtail butterfly widely distributed across Asia. This butterfly is renowned for the mimicry displayed by its numerous forms. The caterpillars of the Common Mormon can negatively impact crop yields. Interestingly, these caterpillars resemble bird droppings while resting on leaves, which helps them avoid predators. However, they are heavily parasitized by chalcidoid wasps, with over a hundred tiny wasps eventually emerging from each pupa. On September 4, 2024, in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, a tiny Common Mormon caterpillar was observed feeding on plant leaves, nearly camouflaged as it blended with the branches.

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#11545362

4 September 2024

Papilio polytes, commonly known as the Common Mormon, is a species of swallowtail butterfly widely distributed across Asia. This butterfly is renowned for the mimicry displayed by its numerous forms. The caterpillars of the Common Mormon can negatively impact crop yields. Interestingly, these caterpillars resemble bird droppings while resting on leaves, which helps them avoid predators. However, they are heavily parasitized by chalcidoid wasps, with over a hundred tiny wasps eventually emerging from each pupa. On September 4, 2024, in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, a tiny Common Mormon caterpillar was observed feeding on plant leaves, nearly camouflaged as it blended with the branches.

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#11545363

4 September 2024

Papilio polytes, commonly known as the Common Mormon, is a species of swallowtail butterfly widely distributed across Asia. This butterfly is renowned for the mimicry displayed by its numerous forms. The caterpillars of the Common Mormon can negatively impact crop yields. Interestingly, these caterpillars resemble bird droppings while resting on leaves, which helps them avoid predators. However, they are heavily parasitized by chalcidoid wasps, with over a hundred tiny wasps eventually emerging from each pupa. On September 4, 2024, in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, a tiny Common Mormon caterpillar was observed feeding on plant leaves, nearly camouflaged as it blended with the branches.

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#10886070

2 January 2024

Maggot larvae are emerging from the body of a garden fly killed by a bush cricket in Christchurch, New Zealand, on January 2, 2024.

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#10855095

15 December 2023

A parasitoid wasp (Microplitis sp.) is resting on a leaf in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 11, 2023.

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#13412309

7 March 2026

Culex mosquitoes, primary vectors for several viral and parasitic diseases including West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, Western and Eastern equine encephalitis, avian malaria and lymphatic filariasis, are seen feeding on human blood and resting on cable wires and a window inside a house in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on March 3, 2026. These mosquitoes generally bite at night and breed in stagnant or polluted water.

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#13412311

7 March 2026

Culex mosquitoes, primary vectors for several viral and parasitic diseases including West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, Western and Eastern equine encephalitis, avian malaria and lymphatic filariasis, are seen feeding on human blood and resting on cable wires and a window inside a house in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on March 3, 2026. These mosquitoes generally bite at night and breed in stagnant or polluted water.

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#13412312

7 March 2026

Culex mosquitoes, primary vectors for several viral and parasitic diseases including West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, Western and Eastern equine encephalitis, avian malaria and lymphatic filariasis, are seen feeding on human blood and resting on cable wires and a window inside a house in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on March 3, 2026. These mosquitoes generally bite at night and breed in stagnant or polluted water.

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#13412316

7 March 2026

Culex mosquitoes, primary vectors for several viral and parasitic diseases including West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, Western and Eastern equine encephalitis, avian malaria and lymphatic filariasis, are seen feeding on human blood and resting on cable wires and a window inside a house in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on March 3, 2026. These mosquitoes generally bite at night and breed in stagnant or polluted water.

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#13228899

22 January 2026

An Ichneumon Wasp (Therion female) is in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on August 6, 2025.

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#13029449

26 November 2025

A female Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) perches on a tree branch while eating fruit from a vine in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on November 26, 2025. The Asian koel is a shy member of the cuckoo family, found mainly in the Indian subcontinent, China and Southeast Asia, and is known for its distinctive call and brood-parasitic behaviour.

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#13029454

26 November 2025

A female Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) perches on a tree branch while eating fruit from a vine in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on November 26, 2025. The Asian koel is a shy member of the cuckoo family, found mainly in the Indian subcontinent, China and Southeast Asia, and is known for its distinctive call and brood-parasitic behaviour.

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#13029457

26 November 2025

A female Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) perches on a tree branch while eating fruit from a vine in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on November 26, 2025. The Asian koel is a shy member of the cuckoo family, found mainly in the Indian subcontinent, China and Southeast Asia, and is known for its distinctive call and brood-parasitic behaviour.

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#13029458

26 November 2025

A female Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) perches on a tree branch while eating fruit from a vine in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on November 26, 2025. The Asian koel is a shy member of the cuckoo family, found mainly in the Indian subcontinent, China and Southeast Asia, and is known for its distinctive call and brood-parasitic behaviour.

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