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This tiny monstrosity (~2mm in length) was inside of some kind of "flat tent cocoon" on a pepper plant leaf in Washington state, USA.

Not sure what's going on here. Is it malformed or infected?

insect

Sergii Dymchenko
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    Could you please attach an image of the "cocoon", it should be helpful – Algae Jan 05 '20 at 19:53
  • @Algae I don't have the image, and now the "cocoon" is destroyed. It looked like a flat round bit of insect silk on the leaf, the insect was in the center under the silk, thus giving it slightly "tent" appearance. – Sergii Dymchenko Jan 05 '20 at 20:09
  • @SergiiDymchenko did the cocoon look like this or like this? – theforestecologist May 03 '20 at 06:04
  • Also, is that "fluffy" lookign stuff in the rear of the insect simply rolled-up "cocoon" or did it appear to be coming out of the insect's abdomen? Could you describe its texture? – theforestecologist May 03 '20 at 06:08
  • @theforestecologist the cocoon looked more like the first example you posted. The fluffy stuff looked like it was growing from the abdomen, it was rigid and looked a bit like fungus (but probably not fungus). I was suggested elsewhere that this is a failed to develop micromoth pupa, and the stuff is hairy larval skin. – Sergii Dymchenko May 03 '20 at 08:25
  • pretty sure its of the hyperorder Hymenopterida, probably Apoidea possibly lepidoptera – user12256545 Feb 13 '21 at 16:09
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    It looks like Lepidoptera to me. It did not properly eclose from the cocoon and the wings did not unfold properly before hardening, which is the reason for the odd appearance, but I'm pretty sure I can see some of the anterior wing veins branching in the section facing us. – Mike Serfas Feb 19 '21 at 03:07

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