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#ichneumonid wasps
uncharismatic-fauna · 9 months
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Uncharismatic Fact of the Day
As every expecting mother knows, finding the perfect place to lay your eggs is of the utmost importance. That's why the long-tailed giant ichneumonid wasp has such a long ovipositor! This special organ is more than twice the wasp's body length, and is used to tunnel deep into decaying wood in order to deposit their egg on the body of their host species the pigeon horntail (Tremex columba).
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(Image: A female long-tailed giant ichneumonid wasp (Megarhyssa macrurus) depositing her egg by Richard Orr)
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rattyexplores · 2 years
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Parasite wasp pupae.
Charops
18/05/22
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onenicebugperday · 25 days
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hiya! could I get a bug identification please?
there are at least 6 of these creatures in my bathroom and I need to know if I should be scared, thank you!
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I'm in the Mojave desert/California area, and they flew in at night. they're about an inch(?) long (sorry for the blur, I have shaky hands <3)
No need to be scared, they're ichneumonid wasps. Solitary parasitoids that don't sting defensively.
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celestialmacros · 11 months
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Grotea anguina, a member of the Ichneumonid wasps
June 10, 2023
Southeastern Pennsylvania
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drafthearse · 3 months
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Ichneumonidae of sub family Anomaloninae. The insect was around 5mm long. Pictured in Dar es Salaam.
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ratcandy · 12 days
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AUUURGGHH I LOVE WASPS!!!!!!! YAAAYYYY <- caught her favorite wasp family today and is ecstatic about it
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vintagewildlife · 8 months
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Ichneumon wasp pollinating an Australian orchid By: Oxford Scientific Films From: The Complete Encyclopedia of the Animal World 1980
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jonnysinsectcatalogue · 4 months
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Long-Tailed Giant Ichneumonid Wasp - Megarhyssa macrurus
To anyone wondering why this giant wasn't included in the "Insect Highlights of 2023", it's simply because there were enough pictures taken to allow a second showcase! She's a very impressive creature, and I'm fortunate to have found her last year. I hope to find a few more specimens in the future, especially if they revisit the tree this one was exploring or similar trees in the surrounding area. As a reminder, Giant Ichneumonids like this specimen are drawn to old, decaying trees in search of Pigeon Horntail larvae for their own eggs. Using their elongated ovipositor they pierce through the wood like a syringe, paralyze a developing larva and place an egg on it. This whole process is done without even so much as seeing the larvae hidden in the tree trunk, but they are searched for via scent cues on the bark, listening for sounds via her legs and feeling for them with her sting as it is pressed downward! Though it looks unwieldy, it is surprisingly easy for an Ichneumon Wasp of this size to orient itself to "drill for larvae". When she's decided on a suitable location, she extends her abdomen and legs as far as they will go, orienting her ovipositor to be as vertical as possible! Since the ovipositor is long, it will take a series a fine adjustments to pull it in so that it lines up parallel to the abdomen.
After it is pressed into the tree trunk the ovipositor is fully unsheathed and the Long-Tailed Giant's search proceeds. The individual in these pictures had just begun to drill for larvae (and had re-sheathed upon my return 1 hour later) Although it may seem precarious, it's important to keep in mind that the ovipositor (which can be more than twice the length of the insect’s body) is not a stiff filament. It appears stiff while inside its sheath and carried behind the insect under normal circumstances. In fact, it is somewhat flexible and can be maneuvered around tree-bound obstacles while searching for larvae. The flexibility also offers an easier exit when withdrawing from the hole in the tree, but not a hasty one: should the ovipositor became damaged, the Wasp will not be able to lay eggs, so withdrawal is monitored carefully. If you'd really like to see an unwieldly "stinger", try and observe an Ichneumon flailing the ovipositor around and place it smoothly back inside her sheath! Do not fear when observing this imposing beauty; though the ovipositor is long and prominent, her "stinger" cannot harm a human. As you've read above, her stinging process requires a lot of telegraphing to be effective, and Ichneumonid adults are not predators nor are they interested in humans. Though Wasps, there is a world of difference between Ichneumonids and some of the more common social Wasps of Ontario.
Pictures were taken on August 24, 2023 with a Google Pixel 4.
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flame-shadow · 1 year
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yoga
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uncharismatic-fauna · 9 months
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Uncharismatic Fact of the Day
Wasps can't build webs-- that's why they get spiders to do it for them. Some ectoparasitoid wasps like Reclinervellus nielseni lay their eggs on unsuspecting Cyclosa orb weaver spiders; once hatched, the larva injects its host with a venom that changes the way it weaves its web! The strands used are thicker, tougher, and glow under ultraviolet light, traits thought to prevent superfluous insects from getting caught. Once the web is complete, the wasp larva eats the spider and uses the web as a base for its cocoon.
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(Image: A Reclinervellus nielseni larva attatched to its host, Cyclosa argenteoalba, by Keizo Takasuka)
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eightdoctor · 8 months
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i don’t know what to tell you guys. if youare bored simply just go outside at night and look at the bugs that fly near light fixtures for some endless and fun entertainment
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onenicebugperday · 1 month
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@microecobus submitted: Hello onenicebug, i want to show you this majestic wasp which i found 2 years ago.
Still dont know what this species is. In my region, there is Megarhyssa perlata, but thorax markings coloration are off, so it must be another species
I'd need to know the location to be sure but it looks like a male Megarhyssa perlata. Females have different markings and of course the long ovipositor.
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horsebeast · 7 months
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bold jumping spider, red-banded leafhopper, and a parasitoid wasp
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jupiterswasphouse · 1 year
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fantabulisticity · 1 year
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Third and last vid and some more pics of ichneumonid (?) friend! I love watching them clean themselves 😊
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hearties-circus · 1 year
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Megarhyssa macrurus man ooooooh
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