''Lysibia nana'' is a
hyperparasitoid wasp that attacks the
parasitoid wasp ''
Cotesia glomerata''.
''L. nana'' reproduces sexually and only infects hosts in the family
Braconidae
The Braconidae are a family of parasitoid wasps. After the closely related Ichneumonidae, braconids make up the second-largest family in the order Hymenoptera, with about 17,000 recognized species and many thousands more undescribed. One analy ...
. Adult females of this species do not feed from their host, but rather rely on sources of nectar in their environment. ''L. nana'' females find hosts by detecting chemical signals, such as
kairomones (usually intra-specific pheromones of the host) or herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) that are released by plants when they are attacked by
herbivore
A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthp ...
s. Females are attracted to plants that have been attacked by caterpillars infected by ''C. glomerata''. Once a suitable host has been found, the ''L. nana'' female lays an egg in a ''C. glomerata'' larva.
References
*
Ichneumonidae
Hyperparasites
{{Ichneumonidae-stub