Leptopilina heterotoma is a species of parasitic wasp that preys on Drosophila fruit flies. The adult female wasp injects her eggs into the abdomen of the fly, where they hatch and feed on the host’s internal organs. The larvae then pupate inside the fly’s body, eventually emerging as adults from their victim’s head.
This gruesome cycle repeats itself over and over again in Leptopilina heterotoma populations, resulting in high rates of mortality among the fruit fly population. This, in turn, benefits the wasps by reducing competition for food resources. In fact, Leptopilina heterotoma has been shown to significantly reduce Drosophila populations in laboratory settings.
Despite its tiny size (adults are only about 2 mm long), this species is a voracious predator and an important player in the ecological interactions between fruit flies and other organisms.