Tobacco hornwom
Food plants: tobacco, tomato, other Solanaceae
Parasitoid: Cotesia congregata - MsT complex
Catalpa sphinx
Food plant: catalpa
Parasitoid: Cotesia congregata - CcC complex
Pandorus sphinx
Food plants: grape and Virginia creeper
Parasitoid: Cotesia congregata - EpV complex
Note: This species can be green, red, brown, or yellow
Hog nose sphinx
Food plants: grape and Virginia creeper
Parasitoid: Cotesia congregata - DmV complex
Laurel sphinx
Food plants: commonly privet, other Oleaceae
Parasitoid: Cotesia congregata - SkP complex
Pawpaw sphinx
Food plants: pawpaw, deciduous holly
Parasitoid: Cotesia congregata - DhP complex
Snowberry clearwing
Food plants: usually honeysuckle, but this one is feeding on a different plant
Parasitoid: Cotesia congregata - reported but not found by us.
Most of these caterpillars have been parasitized by the tachinid fly, Belvosia.
There are several other hosts of Cotesia congregata that we are searching for but have not yet found parasitized ones locally. Primary targets are the larvae of Agrius cingulata and Lapara coniferarum.
We collect caterpillars in the hope that they are parasitized by a species of Cotesia. Please contact us if you find caterpillars with small cocoons hanging off of them or around them. There are hundreds of species of Cotesia, and we trying to find as many as we can!
Orange-striped oakworm
Food plants: chestnut and oak, especially red oak
Parasitoid: Cotesia anisotae
Red-humped caterpillar
Food plants: Many woody plants, these were on sweet gum
Parasitoid: Cotesia schizurae
Polyphemus
Food plants: Many trees and shrubs
Parasitoid: Cotesia teleae
Io
Food plants: Variety of plants
Parasitoid: Cotesia hemileucae and Cotesia electrae (western US)
Caution: Has a mild sting!
Dogbane saucrobotys
Food plants: Dogbane
Parasitoid: Cotesia pyraldis and Cotesia pyraustae