Sep 6, 2025
#3086 - Complex Chrysopasta elegans
Large Tachinids from SW Australia, usually seen feeding from our many flowering shrubs.
Chrysopasta elegans and the other very similar species in the complex are in the subfamily Dexiinae, and the Rutiliini tribe. The Dexiinae generally havec beetle grubs or caterpillars as hosts for their, and lay hundreds to thousands of eggs in likely habitat. After that, the larvae are on their own, and either have to find a host themselves or hopefully get swallowed by a caterpillar.
Great Southern BioBlitz 2024, Wongan Hills - Wongan Wildflower Walk