The incapacitated spider is either held captive in its own burrow or dragged to the wasp's nest. The female then lays a single egg on the spider's body. The purpose of this act: a pre-prepared dinner.

The white capsules on its back are the pupal stage of the tiny wasp. Braconid larvae fed on the insides of this hornworm, have now completed that feeding, and are preparing to emerge as tiny wasps.

Other parasitic wasp species only target fruit flies during their early larva and pupa life stages. S. perlmani use their needle-like ovipositor organ to stab into a fruit fly's abdomen and ...