Ichneumon Wasps are large parasitoid Wasps (the largest species can
exceed 5 cm) closely related to Braconids. They are noted for their
reproductive behaviour, in which the females sting another Insect or Spider to
paralyze it, then lay an egg on, in or near the victim, the larval Wasp emerges
and consumes the paralyzed prey, typically keeping it alive (and therefore
fresh) until ready to pupate. This behaviour is actually seen in a wide range
of Wasp species, but tends to be noticed more in Ichneumons because of their
large size.
In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 21 November 2014, Pascal
Rousse of the Natural History Department at the Iziko South African Museum in
Cape Town and the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University
and Simon van Noort of the Natural History Department at the Iziko South African
Museum in Cape Town and the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Cape Town, describe two new species of Ichneumon Wasps from Africa as part
of a review of the Ichneumon Wasp subfamily Ophioninae on the continent.
The first new species described is placed in the genus Dicamptus, and given the specific name maxipol, in reference to the large size
of the gap between the two posterior ocelli (the back two of the three pit eyes
between the two main compound eyes of a Wasp, Bee or Ant), which is called the post-ocellar
line index (POL). The species is described from a single female specimen
collected from the West Coast Fossil Park to the west of Langebaanweg in
Western Cape Province, South Africa. The specimen is 20.8 mm long and orange
and black in colour.
Dicamptus maxipol, female in lateral view. Rousse & van Noort (2014).
The second species is placed in the genus Enicospilus and given the specific name gauldetmitchellorum, which honours Ian Gauld and PA Mitchel, who
mentioned a similar specimen as an undescribed species in a 1978 review of
African Ophionine Wasps. The species is described from a single female specimen
collected in the Mkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania. The specimen is 18.8 mmin
length and yellowish orange in colour.
Enicospilus gauldetmitchellorum, female in lateral view. Rousse & van Noort (2014).
See also…
Ichneumon Wasps are a group of highly specialized...
Ichneumon Wasps are a group of highly specialized...
Ichneumon Wasps are specialist parasites of other insects; typically they lay their eggs in the larvae of other insects, and their larvae then consume their hosts from the inside as they grow, eventually killing the host as...
Ichneumon Wasps are a group of highly specialized...
Ichneumon Wasps are specialist parasites of other insects; typically they lay their eggs in the larvae of other insects, and their larvae then consume their hosts from the inside as they grow, eventually killing the host as...
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