Larra (genus)

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Larra
Larra bicolor in Paynes Prairie, Florida.jpg
Larra bicolor
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Hymenoptera
Family:
Crabronidae
Subfamily:
Crabroninae
Tribe:
Larrini
Genus:
Larra

Fabricius, 1793
Species

about 64, see text

Larra, also known as mole cricket wasps or mole cricket hunters, is a genus of wasps that prey on various species of mole crickets. They have gained prominence as integrated pest management agents.

Distribution[]

Members of this genus are found worldwide, particularly in the tropics.[1][2]

Lifecycle[]

Larra wasps feed on nectar as adults. Female wasps hunt adult or late-instar mole crickets and lay their eggs upon them, first temporarily paralyzing them by stinging them on the underside. The larva, upon hatching, gradually consumes the host, eventually killing it. It then pupates in or near the remains. The adults are solitary and do not form colonies. Incubation and development are highly variable in length and dependent upon temperature; in winter, the larvae may enter diapause. Each Larra species preferentially hunts a particular set of prey species, even when related prey is available.[2]

The temporary paralysis of the host is a distinctive feature of the genus out of its close allies. Other related wasps generally paralyze the host permanently and bury it so that the larva can consume it undisturbed.[2]

Human importance[]

Larra polita, which is endemic to the Philippines, was successfully introduced to Hawaii in 1925 to help control Gryllotalpa orientalis, the oriental mole cricket.[3]

A related species, L. bicolor, was introduced to Puerto Rico in 1928 to control the accidentally introduced , the Changa mole cricket. Subsequent efforts were made to introduce L. bicolor to Florida for the same reason, and a population was established by 1993.[2]

Species[]

Larra anathema

There are 64 described species of Larra.[4]

  •  Guérin-Méneville in Lefebvre, 1849
  •  (F. Smith, 1858)
  •  F. Williams, 1928
  •  (F. Smith, 1873)
  • Larra analis Fabricius, 1804
  • Larra anathema (Rossi, 1790)
  •  Kohl, 1892
  •  Cameron, 1904
  •  Tsuneki, 1983
  •  Schmid-Egger, 2014
  •  de Saussure, 1887
  • Larra bicolor Fabricius, 1804
  •  Cameron, 1904
  •  Bischoff, 1913
  •  (Holmberg, 1884)
  •  (F. Smith, 1858)
  •  Schrottky, 1902
  •  (F. Smith, 1873)
  •  R. Turner, 1912
  •  (Walker, 1871)
  •  Tsuneki, 1982
  •  (Kohl, 1892)
  •  Bingham, 1897
  •  R. Turner, 1916
  •  Dahlbom, 1845
  •  (de Saussure, 1854)
  •  Tsuneki, 1967
  •  Cameron, 1900
  •  (F. Smith, 1856)
  •  Cameron, 1889
  •  (de Saussure, 1890)
  •  Kazenas, 1978
  •  Arnold, 1923
  •  de Saussure, 1887
  •  (F. Smith, 1865)
  •  (Fabricius, 1787)
  •  Gistel, 1857
  •  Tsuneki, 1982
  •  R. Turner, 1916
  •  Kohl, 1884
  •  (F. Smith, 1865)
  •  Kohl, 1894
  •  Nurse, 1903
  •  (Fabricius, 1793)
  •  Dalla Torre, 1894
  •  Arnold, 1923
  •  (F. Smith, 1858)
    Rohwer, 1919
  •  (Strand, 1910)
  •  (F. Smith, 1851)
  •  Kohl, 1884
  •  Arnold, 1932
  •  Cameron, 1904
  •  Arnold, 1929
  •  Kohl, 1892
  •  (Mocsáry, 1892)
  •  (F. Smith, 1856)
  •  (Mocsáry, 1892)
  •  Menke, 1992
  •  (F. Smith, 1860)
  •  Tsuneki, 1976
  •  F. Morawitz, 1894
  •  de Saussure, 1892
  •  Sudheendrakumar and Narendran, 1985
  •  Gussakovskij, 1933

References[]

  1. ^ Menke, Arnold S. (1992). "Mole cricket hunters of the genus Larra in the New World (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae, Larrinae)". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 1: 175–234. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  2. ^ a b c d Frank, J. Howard; Sourakov, Andrei (2002). "Larra Wasps, Mole Cricket Hunters (suggested names) Larra analis Fabricius and Larra bicolor Fabricius (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)". IFAS Extension Featured Creatures. University of Florida. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  3. ^ Oriental Mole Cricket Archived 2010-06-11 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "ITIS Standard Report Page: Larra". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
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