More than 2200 species of the wild flora and fauna photographed in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico and the surrounding area.
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Wasps of Zihuatanejo
ORDER HYMENOPTERA
-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)
-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)
-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)
-Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies (Order Hymenoptera)
-Narrow-waisted Wasps, Ants, and Bees (Suborder Apocrita)
-Ichneumonid and Braconid Wasps (Superfamily Ichneumonoidea)
-Ichneumonid Wasps (Family Ichneumonidae)
-Subfamily Anomaloninae
-Tribe Anomalonini
-Genus Anomalon
The genus Anomalon belongs to the family Ichneumonidae, one of the largest families of wasps. Members of this genus are parasitic wasps, often playing crucial roles in controlling populations of other insects as part of their life cycle. Anomalon wasps are parasitoids, primarily targeting caterpillars (larvae of Lepidoptera). Females lay eggs inside or on the host, and the developing larvae consume the host from within, eventually killing it.
Anomalon Wasps
Anomalon (Genus)
Description
• Anomalon is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Ichneumonidae. Members are typically slender, with elongated bodies, long antennae, and often reddish-brown, black, or yellow markings. Like other ichneumonid wasps, they lay their eggs in or on other insects; their larvae develop as parasites of the host.
Range
• Species of Anomalon occur in many parts of the world, including tropical and temperate regions. It is native to Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, and the surrounding area.
Habitat
• These wasps inhabit wooded areas, forest edges, scrub, and other places where suitable insect hosts occur. Adults may be seen resting on vegetation or visiting flowers, while their immature stages develop in association with host insects.
Diet
• Adults generally feed on nectar and other sugary plant fluids. Their larvae are parasitoids of other insects, particularly moth and butterfly caterpillars, developing at the host’s expense and eventually killing it.