Methocha
''Methocha'' is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Thynnidae. The species of this genus are found worldwide except in Australia, and attack the larvae of tiger beetles. Females are wingless, and can be mistaken for ants, while males are winged. Biology Female ''Methocha'' actively hunt over the ground for burrows containing tiger beetle larvae, which are ambush predator Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture their prey via stealth, luring or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an element of surprise. Unlike pursuit predators, who chase to capture prey u ...s; the wasp entices the beetle larva into attacking, evades being bitten, and quickly moves in and stings the larva in its vulnerable underside, paralyzing it. It then lays an egg on the immobile beetle larva, and the wasp larva consumes it.E.O. Wilson, D.J. Farish (1973) Predatory behaviour in the ant-like wasp ''Methocha stygia'' (Say) (Hymenoptera: Tiphiid ...
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