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Hi John,

I mentioned your query to a friend with an interest in these little parasitic wasps and he replied with the following:

"I fear that any attempt to name the mystery object on Diptera info would only be a guess. I thought initially it might be wool spun by parasitic larvae of the primary parasitoid that emerged from a lep larva as they formed cocoons eg. an Apanteles (Braconidae) or similar genus. Usually the outline of individual cocoons is evident so there must be a better answer. I worked a bit with phytophagous species of Torymidae in Florida and South America and doubt that this one belongs to that group of species. The best lead would probably to get the torymid identified and check what host records are known for that species."

Sadly, it doesn't provide an answer beyond those you've already received on the other forum. If you do get an answer please let me know so I can pass the news on to my friend.

Steve