ONH

Ichneumon Wasps

Ichneumonidae

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  • 3303
  • 9050
  • 9056
  • 1160237
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  • 3321fig
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    1 - Ichneumon Wasp, Family Ichneumonidae.

    03/17/2007 Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    2 - Ichneumon Wasp.

    03/17/2007 Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    3 - Ichneumon Wasp.

    09/01/2008 Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    4 - Ichneumon Wasp.

    09/01/2008 Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    5 - Ichneumon Wasp.

    08/31/2013 Pumpkinseed Lake, Obstruction Point Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    6 - Ichneumon Wasp forewing.

    03/18/2007 specimen collected Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    7 - Ichneumon Wasp forewing with the “horsehead cell” colored green.

    03/18/2007 specimen collected Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    8 - Ichneumon Wasp. Note three prominent ocelli on top of head.

    10/12/2004 Specimen collected Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    9 - Ichneumon Wasp ovipositing. Part of the ovipositor is visible, most is buried in the wood.

    8/22/2002 Time 5:16 pm Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    10 - 17 minutes later than previous slide, oviposition continues.

    8/22/2002 Time 5:33:17 pm Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    11 - This slide and next two slides show the withdrawal of the ovipositor.

    8/22/2002 Time 5:33:25 pm Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    12 - 10 seconds after slide 11.

    8/22/2002 Time 5:33:36 pm Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    13 - 20 seconds after slide 11

    8/22/2002 Time 5:33:45 pm Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

The family Ichneumonidae includes more than 3,300 species in North America. It’s one of the largest insect families. Ichneumons vary widely, though they tend to have very long antennae and often long ovipositors. They lay eggs near host species, upon which the larvae feed. Most ichneumon species lay eggs only on a single species of host. The larvae eventually kill the host, making ichneumons parasitoids, rather than parasites.

Two characteristics of Ichneumons are the “horsehead” cell in the forewing (slides 6 and 7) and the thee prominent simple eyes, or ocelli, on the head (slide 8).