Yellow-banded Ichneumon Wasp - Echthromorpha agrestoria

Family ICHNEUMONIDAE

This page contains pictures and information about Yellow-banded Ichneumon Wasps that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.


Body length 22mm, female

This is quite a large Ichneumon wasp. We found the male and female flying on vegetations in someone's front yard during a sunny day in mid winter. They both have the typical wasp colour pattern and with very long antenna. Notice the female have the long and strong ovipositor at the tip of her abdomen.


Female

The wasp has the Head, thorax and abdomen black with yellow stripes, bands and spots; rest of thorax and legs are bright reddish yellow. Wings clear with dark veins. We identified this species with the marginal cell of forewing with distal infumate spot and forewing with cu-a distal to Rs&M.


Male

The wasp have the clypeus elongated.



They attack a variety of moth caterpillars.

Please check the Ichneumon Wasps page for more general information above this wasp.

Reference and Link:
1. Insects of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 944.
2. An introduction to the Ichneumonidae of Australia - Gauld, I.D. 1984, British Museum, p63.
3. Northern Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.
4. Wasps - family Ichneumonidae - lifeunseen.com, by Nick Monaghan.
5. Echthromorpha intricatoria - Australian Insect Common Names, CSIRO, 2005.