Some larvae and pupae

[goosey]

I thought would put these into the gallery for reference and because they are quite interesting. The ID's might need revising .

1+2. Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Larvae, These moved very fast up and down a buddleia stalk. It was the only day I ever saw them in the garden. June 2007





3.Hoverfly pupating? 31-05-2007 on a Viburnun Dawn leaf. The casing had split here and what ever was inside was moving. The next day there was no sign of it, or the casing.


4.Syrphid hoverfly larva. 03-05 2007 on ivy.


5. 7spot Ladybird larva 30-05-2007


6.Ladybird pupa 24-05-7, not sure which type though?

[Pudding4brains]

Hi Goosey,

As far as I'm concerned the "Cryptolaemus" could be any larva of tribe Scymnini - if you're not quite sure you've seen C. montrouzieri around (usually only in greenhouses!!) it's probably some other Scymnini, wouldn't even want to pin the genus to Scymnus, but maybe H-dogg or Paul know more.

The Hoverflies to me do not seem to be pupating, just look being jolly larvae. H-dogg might be able to pinpoint the species?

Bottom 2 larva/pupa should both be 7-spot.

Cheers
Arp

[goosey]

Originally Posted by Pudding4brains

Hi Goosey,

As far as I'm concerned the "Cryptolaemus" could be any larva of tribe Scymnini - if you're not quite sure you've seen C. montrouzieri around (usually only in greenhouses!!) it's probably some other Scymnini, wouldn't even want to pin the genus to Scymnus, but maybe H-dogg or Paul know more.

The Hoverflies to me do not seem to be pupating, just look being jolly larvae. H-dogg might be able to pinpoint the species?

Bottom 2 larva/pupa should both be 7-spot.

Cheers
Arp

Good work Arp ,
There are no green houses in the area, so they might have be a Scymnini sp.
Not that I would actually know what an adult Scymnini or a montrouzieri would even look like!

I thought the hoverfly larva in image 3 was actually doing "something" as there was movement inside the split casing - it was just a guess at pupating.
So I take it then, that if it is a larva that it must be a different type of hoverfly than in image 4?

I am glad I got the 7 spot Larva right anyway - 2 out of 6 right, I must be getting better

[Pudding4brains]

Hi Goosey,

Originally Posted by goosey

Not that I would actually know what an adult Scymnini or a montrouzieri would even look like!

They're very small, usally dark/blackish and a tad hairy ladybirds that don't look much like "ladybirds" at all

You'll find some C. montrouzieri here.

I thought the hoverfly larva in image 3 was actually doing "something" as there was movement inside the split casing - it was just a guess at pupating. So I take it then, that if it is a larva that it must be a different type of hoverfly than in image 4?

Yes they're different types, but I myself can't tell which.

About the pupating: The movement inside may just have been "digestion", or alternatively "parasitoids" - just guessing though?!? The best I can do without much searching was this one:

The top left bit shows a larva as found (busy being a larva) and next a few days later, not too long before pupating - it attaches/glues itself to the substrate, straightens out, becomes shorter (shrivels up a bit), less transparant, then 'blows up' into the shape of the fresh pupa top right.

I'm not sure about the colour of the 'older' pupa bottom left, might well be off-colour because of the parasitoid.

Cheers!
Arp

[H Dogg]

1+2 Are from the Scymnini tribe. Most of their larva are small and wooly and feed on soft coccids. I would agree with what pudding is saying with these.
3. Syrphid larva doesnt look like its pupating though? Looks like Syrphus sp, likely S.ribesii.
4. Syrphid larva (as you said) unsure on the species
5 + 6. Seven Spot ladybird Coccinella septempunctata

The larva in 3 looks to just be digesting or moving, syrphid larvae are translucent and its quite common to see movement within them.

[goosey]

Thank you H Dogg and Arp for the ID's, I will rename the images in the gallery now!

As soon as I saw the link for C. montrouzieri I realise I have seen an image of them here on WATW - one of Pauls - I even commented on it , I just didn't recognise the name!

Btw - another nice collage Arp!

[paul m]

I wouldn't like to say what the larva was; there are quite a few ladybirds of this sort, not often recognised as such because they small and not brightly coloured.

In NW Europe C. montrouzieri is commonly used for control of mealybugs in greenhouses. However, it has been known to survive outdoors in England and even to overwinter and reproduce (as at Royal Horticultural Society, Wisley in 1997-98 where at least one was calculated to have survived thirty nights of frost).
Most finds are probably escapes from greenhouses or butterfly houses, however, who can say what might happen if winters become warmer? The species has established around the Mediterranean, unsurprisingly, where it does eat other bugs than the melaybugs ....

Originally Posted by Pudding4brains

As far as I'm concerned the "Cryptolaemus" could be any larva of tribe Scymnini - if you're not quite sure you've seen C. montrouzieri around (usually only in greenhouses!!) it's probably some other Scymnini, wouldn't even want to pin the genus to Scymnus, but maybe H-dogg or Paul know more.

[Pudding4brains]

Hi Paul/All,

Originally Posted by paul m

I wouldn't like to say what the larva was; there are quite a few ladybirds of this sort

Your doubts have made me look a bit better. I always thought that tribe Scimnini was a save bet for these, but you are right, for both UK and NL we have a few ladybirds in subfamily Scimninae outside of tribe Scimnini in genera Hyperaspis and Stethorus. Of these the Stethorus can be savely excluded I think, but Hyperaspis not. I myself have never found either the beetle or the larve of these (I think we onl have Hyperaspis pseudopustulata?) but google seems to come up with one or two "wooly" larvae ...

So - should it be Scimninae sp. then, or do you know of more subfamilies that might have similar larvae?

Those little ones just always seem to produce headaches more than anything else

Cheers
Arp