Favoritos de diego_h

On Pignut hickory, Carya glabra

This apparently is the pupal case of a parasitic moth larva.

I’m not clear on what the white material is. My first thought was spores from a cordyceps– like fungus.

Also, does each moth larva attack a series of plant hoppers over its larval life? It doesn’t seem like there’s enough mass in a single plant hopper to complete development.

“Larvae are parasites of planthoppers! Adults lay eggs on plants that host planthoppers and first instar larvae attach themselves to various planthopper species. The larvae are ectoparasites, sucking body fluids from the planthoppers' abdomen beneath the hosts' wings! (BugGuide/Covell, 1984)”