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Order Hymenoptera, Family Ichneumonidae
- This page contains pictures and information about Slender Ichneumon
Wasps in subfamily Ophioninae that we
found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
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- 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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- Males could be seen in flight during the days. Females are active at night searching caterpillars for their
young. Their young are external parasites of sawfly
larvae and moth caterpillars. They
do not seem to be very host specific but niche specific.
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- Ichneumon Wasps in subfamily Ophioninae can be distinguished with the
followings characteristic;
- - usually brownish orange in colour,
- - forewing with areolet absent, very distinctive
forewing vein pattern.
- - ovipositor short and never projected beyond
abdomen,
- - ocelli usually large,
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- Black-tailed Slender Ichneumon Wasp
 - Enicospilus sp., body length 20mm
- We saw this Ichneumon Wasp once in Karawatha Forest. We recognised the
wasp by the dot pattern at the middle of the forewing. The wasp has the
typical wing vein pattern of subfamily Ophioninae. Please check
this page for more
information.
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- Brown Orange Slender Ichneumon Wasp
 - Enicospilus sp., body length 20mm
- We recognised the wasp by the dot pattern at the middle of the forewing.
Please check this page for more
information.
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- Black-abdomen Slender Ichneumon Wasp
 - Dicamptus sp., body length 20mm
- Photo was taken in Botanic Garden on Feb 2010. The wasp was resting under
leaf, The larvae in this subfamily are internal parasitic on larvae of moths and butterflies. Adults
are active at night. Please check this page
for more information.
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- Pale-thorax Slender Ichneumon Wasp
  - Leptophion sp., body length 20mm
- Pictures taken when the wasp resting on a Banksia tree leaf in Alexandra Hill
during late summer. The wasp is Reddish orange in colour, female will give a
painful sting. Their hosts are those large size caterpillars. More information
and pictures can be found in this page.
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- Pale Orange Slender Ichneumon Wasp
 - Ophion or Xylophion sp., body length 20mm
- From reference information this wasp could be the parasites of caterpillars
in Anthelidae and Noctuidae.
Please check this page for more
information.
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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, p286.
- 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.
[ Up ] [ Pimplinae ] [ Tryphoninae ] [ Phygadeuontinae ] [ Inchneumoninae ] [ Banchinae ] [ Ophioninae ] [ Anomaloninae ] [ Diplazontinae ] [ Metopiinae ]
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