Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda)
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Superfamily: Oestroidea
Family: Tachinidae
Subfamily: Tachininae
Tribe: Ernestiini
Genus: Panzeria
The larvae of flies in the genus: Panzeria parasitises various moths (Arctiidae, Lasiocampidae, Notodontidae, Noctuidae, Geometridae, Olethreutidae). The females attach their eggs to foliage visited by the host moth. The eggs hatch in minutes and the larvae wait in a vertical position for a passing host, to which they cling and then quickly penetrate its body to feed. The larvae develop for 2-3 weeks within the host, emerge and form puparia, and pass the winter in the pupal stage.
The species Panzeria ampelus was introduced to Europe as a biological control to the ‘Fall webworm’, Hyphantria cunea.
P. ampelus is also is an important parasitoid of the moth Bertha armyworm (Mamestra configurata) whose larvae feed on Canola.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
