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Order Hymenoptera
- This page contains pictures and information about Ichneumon Wasps in
family Ichneumonidae that we
found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
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- Ichneumon Wasps and Braconid Wasps may look
very similar. One way to distinguish them is that the Ichneumon Wasps 2nd recurrent vein of the fore wing
is present.
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- Ichneumonidae is the largest wasp
family. Wasps in this family are from small to medium in size. They have long and thin
body with narrow waist like all other wasps. Adults are usually active in day
time and feed on flowers. Some species are brightly colourful.
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- The larvae are either parasitic
or hyperparasitic (living parasitically upon a parasite). Most moth caterpillars
and pupas are targeted host. Some species attacked other
insects and spiders. The female wasp usually locates the food plants of the host
then searches with her antennae for a suitable host. The female
usually has the long ovipositor which is used to insert eggs into the host body.
Some species the ovipositor is longer than the female's body. The length of the
ovipositor allows the female to inject her eggs into hidden hosts such as
leaf-rolling or stem-boring caterpillars
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Some species lay eggs externally and attack the host from outside. The host will
usually survive when the larvae is still living. Until the larvae fully grown,
the larvae either pupates inside the dead host or form a cocoon outside.
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- The two families Braconidae and Ichneumonidae
are very close related and some species look similar. They can be distinguished
by the forewing venation. In the Ichneumons there is an extra vein
creating a cell which can not be found on Braconids.
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- Subfamily Pimplinae - Banded-abdomen Ichneumon Wasps
- Ichneumon Wasps in Pimplinae are usually coloured with red, yellow or
black colours. They are from small to very large in size. Pimplines
attack a wide range of insect larvae and pupae, and some attacks spider egg
sacs. Prior to laying eggs, the female wasps often paralyse or kill their host
by injecting venom with the ovipositor.
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- Subfamily Tryphoninae
- Reddish-orange Ichneumon Wasps
- Ichneumon Wasps in Tryphoninae are from small to large in size. Females
are with ovipositor relatively short, not projecting beyond apex of abdomen.
Their young are external parasites of sawfly
larvae and moth caterpillars.
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- Subfamily Phygadeuontinae
- Banded Ichneumon Wasps
- Phygadeuontinae is the largest subfamily in Ichneumon Wasps. Most wasps are small and a few are
medium size. Most species look very similar as many of them are black in colour with white markings. Antenna are
often with white band and the ovipositor is relatively long. Their young are
external parasites of pupae of moths
and other insects, some are parasites of spider egg-sac. Males are usually
found searching, either walking or dance-flying over low bushes. Females are
found searching for hosts on ground or on plants.
 
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- Subfamily Inchneumoninae
- Orange Ichneumon Wasps
- Inchneumoninae is the second largest subfamily in Ichneumon Wasps. Ichneumon Wasps in subfamily Inchneumoninae usually found searching for
caterpillar or pupa on foot on vegetation or soil. In some species female
and male look quite different.
 
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- Subfamily Banchinae - Mottled Ichneumon Wasps
- Their larvae are internal parasitic of caterpillars
and pupas of targeted host, usually Moths or Butterflies.
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- Subfamily Ophioninae
- Ichneumon Wasps in Ophioninae are from small to large in size.
They are usually brownish orange in colour, seldom in black. Females
are with ovipositor relatively short, not projecting beyond apex of abdomen.
Most of them have large ocelli. They have very long antenna usually more
than 55 antennal segments. Their legs are long and slender with tibial spurs
very long. Forewings are large and often with glabrous area.
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- Subfamily Anomaloninae
- Anomalonine wasps are from small to very large in size. They are usually
with black and red colours. Females are with ovipositor relatively short. They
are parasites of tenebrionid
beetle larvae or external parasites of moth
caterpillars.
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- Subfamily Diplazontinae
- The Hover Fly Larvae Parasite Wasp is shiny black in colour with brown legs and brown abdomen. There is
the white segment on their hind legs. This species is endoparasites of Hover
Fly larvae.
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- Subfamily Metopiinae
- Ichneumon Wasps in this subfamily are endoparasites of larvae of Lepidoptera.
Some are brightly coloured. Some of them are apparently mimic Eumeninae
Wasps.
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- Reference:
- 1. Insects
of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University
Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 943.
- 2. An introduction to the Ichneumonidae of Australia - Gauld, I.D. 1984,
British Museum.
- 3. Parasitoids: Natural enemies of helicoverpa
- Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland, 2005.
- 4. Northern
Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.
- 5. Wasps - family Ichneumonidae - lifeunseen.com, by Nick Monaghan.
- 6. What
wasp is that? - An interactive identification guide to the
Australasian families of Hymenoptera, 2007.
- 7. Family ICHNEUMONIDAE - Australian Biological Resources Study, Australian Faunal Directory.
- Back to Top
- [ Up ] [ Pimplinae ] [ Tryphoninae ] [ Phygadeuontinae ] [ Inchneumoninae ] [ Banchinae ] [ Ophioninae ] [ Anomaloninae ] [ Diplazontinae ] [ Metopiinae ]
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