佳作獎
香蕉弄蝶的天敵~平腹小蜂
The Natural Enemy of Banana Skippers – Anastatus formosanus Wasps
作者 | 曾國忠
#昆蟲與蜘蛛
科學圖說 Introduction
香蕉弄蝶又稱香蕉苞蟲，主要危害香蕉、粉蕉、芭蕉、美人蕉等。平腹小蜂是種卵寄生蜂，體型嬌小，身長大約3毫米，外觀像小螞蟻，有透明的翅膀，能夠飛行，壽命大約20多天。平腹小蜂會把自己的孩子產到香蕉弄蝶的卵裡面，把香蕉弄蝶卵裡面的組織吃完，再羽化出成蜂。這種寄生捕食的特性使牠們成為香蕉弄蝶的天敵。
The banana skipper, also known as the rounded palm-redeye, is a butterfly that can harm banana, plantain, and edible canna crops. Anastatus formosanus is a wasp measuring 3mm in length that is an egg parasitoid. The adults look like small ants, have transparent wings, and can fly. Their lifespan is more than 20 days. This wasp lays its eggs inside the eggs of banana skippers. Once the wasp larvae finish feeding on banana skippers’ eggs, they emerge as adults and repeat the cycle. As such, they are the banana skipper’s natural enemy.
