Mandura Sexta

Meet Mandura Sexta.  Commonly known as the tobacco hornworm. These were found in my tomato plants. There is a tomato hornworm that looks quite similar, but after much comparison we determined these are the tobacco variety. They are about three inches long. As you can see one of them was covered in these little, white, eggy things. After an extensive search we finally solved the mystery.

Excerpt taken from the University of Florida web page:

Even though it is still capable of movement, this hornworm larva, is already "dead." The white capsules on its back, frequently mistaken for "hornworm eggs" by many gardeners, are actually Hymenopterous wasp pupae of the Braconidae family. These wasps fed on the hornworm while in the larval stage and are now pupating into adults. When home gardeners find hornworms in this stage, they should let them be as they aren't capable of more damage. And when they emerge, the adult wasps will hunt for other hornworms to parasitize.

Gross, but cool.