ichneumonid wasps

(Family Ichneumonidae)

Overview
ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)
Photo by Alfredo Colon
 

Ichneumonidae is a very large family of narrow-waisted wasps. It is the largest family of insects. There are an estimated 60,000 species in 39 subfamilies worldwide, but currently only about 25,000 species have been described. There are about 5,000 described species in almost 500 genera in 36 subfamilies in North America, and at least 744 species in at least 17 subfamilies in Minnesota. Ichneumonidae occur worldwide on all continents except Antarctica. According to BugGuide.net, they are “common almost everywhere.”

Almost all ichneumonid wasps inject their eggs into the body of a host or lay their eggs on the surface of a host. Very few lay their eggs in the ground. When the eggs hatch the larvae consume the still living host.

 
           
 
Description
 
 

Adults are to 1916 (3 to 40 mm) long not including the antennae or the ovipositor. They have a slender waist. The antennae have 16 or more segments and are long, at least half as long as the body. The females of some species have a very long ovipositor which allows them to drill a few centimeters deep into rotted wood to deposit their eggs into a host. Unlike stinging wasps, the ovipositor is not modified into a sting.

Ichneumonidae are very similar in appearance to braconid wasps (Family Braconidae). They differ in having two recurrent veins on the forewing. The second submarginal cell is small or missing. The base of the cubital vein is missing, and the first submarginal and second discoidal cells are fused together.

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 27, 29, 30, 82.

 
  7/2/2022      
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies)  
 

Suborder

Apocrita (narrow-waisted wasps, ants, and bees)  
 

Superfamily

Ichneumonoidea (ichneumonid and braconid wasps)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

Subfamily Acaenitinae

Subfamily Adelognathinae

Subfamily Anomaloninae

Subfamily Banchinae

Subfamily Brachycyrtinae

Subfamily Campopleginae

Subfamily Collyriinae

Subfamily Cremastinae

Subfamily Cryptinae

Subfamily Ctenopelmatinae

Subfamily Cylloceriinae

Subfamily Diacritinae

Subfamily Diacritinae

Subfamily Diplazontinae (hover fly parasitoid wasps)

Subfamily Eucerotinae

Subfamily Hybrizontinae

Subfamily Ichneumoninae

Subfamily Labeninae

Subfamily Lycorininae

Subfamily Mesochorinae

Subfamily Metopiinae

Subfamily Microleptinae

Subfamily Neorhacodinae

Subfamily Ophioninae (short-tailed ichneumonid wasps)

Subfamily Orthocentrinae

Subfamily Orthopelmatinae

Subfamily Oxytorinae

Subfamily Phrudinae

Subfamily Phygadeuontinae

Subfamily Pimplinae

Subfamily Poemeniinae

Subfamily Rhyssinae

Subfamily Stilbopinae

Subfamily Tersilochinae

Subfamily Tryphoninae

Subfamily Xoridinae

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

ichneumonid wasps

ichneumons

ichneumon wasps

 
       
 

Ichneumonidae are often referred to as ichneumon wasps, but that name is properly applied to the genus Ichneumon, and should not be used for this family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Ovipositor

A tube-like organ near the end of the abdomen of many female insects, used to prepare a place for an egg and to place the egg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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Alfredo Colon

 
    ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)   ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)  
           
    ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)   ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)  
 

Bill Reynolds

 
 

… climbing all over Cosmos (flower) stalks and branches.

 
    ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)   ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)  
           
    ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)   ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)  
           
    ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)      
           
 
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  The Ichneumonidae are a parasitoid wasp family within the order Hymenoptera
Living Earth
 
   
 
About

Published on Apr 25, 2019

I go through the forests, mountains, hills, fields, and waters to understand the living world and to create a living mind.

The Ichneumonidae are a parasitoid wasp family within the order Hymenoptera

 

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this insect.

 
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  Bill Reynolds
September 2022

Location: Pennington Co. MN

ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)  
  John
8/17/2022

Location: Cherry Grove in Fillmore County

it was around our house for a couple hours.

 
  Alfredo Colon
8/8/2022

Location: Albany, NY

ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)  
  Alfredo Colon
6/27/2021

Location: Woodbury, MN

ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)  
  Alfredo Colon
6/3/2021

Location: Woodbury, MN

ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)  
  Alfredo Colon
8/16/2018

Location: Woodbury, MN

ichneumonid wasp (Family Ichneumonidae)  
           
 
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Created: 6/13/2019

Last Updated:

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