Cream-spotted Ichneumon Wasp
S6, Ovi-positor & Sheaths
Ellura
Cream-spotted Ichneumon Wasp
S3, Male, ventral
 
                      
Cream-spotted Ichneumon Wasp (Echthromorpha intricatoria)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Ant Bee Wasps (Hymenoptera)
Family: Ichneumon Wasp (Wasp: Ichneumonoidea: Ichneumonidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Cream-spotted Ichneumon Wasp (Echthromorpha intricatoria)
This Photo:     🔍S5, Female, Under Abdomen🔎
Other name: White-spotted Ichneumonid Wasp

Thank you Thomas Mesaglio, Andrei (ichman) & Asaph (asaph01) for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), the Adelaide Hills and elsewhere
The females have a medium sized ovipositor and are variable in size ~12-18mm; compared with ~11-12mm for the males we've seen.
These wasps parisitise lepidoptera pupae.
Notice the large bulge under the rear of the females abdomen. This gives room for the ovipositor to bend/hinge down. The thick looking ovi-positor is actually a couple of sheaths (which are covered in short/pubescent hair) that protect the much thinner ovipositor. Notice in S6 how the ovi-positor looks very long compared to the other specimens. This is because half of it is covered by the abdomen in the other specimens.
Notice in the Wing Venation shot of S7. Some of the veins around around the diamond in the middle look shredded. A bit like a wire that's had the insulation stripped off. This is not damage and can be diagnostic. Looking at the specimen wing venations you can see the shredding in the same place. Back to S7, you can also see on in the hind wing. This vein "shredding effect" occurs in other Ichneumon wasps.

Copyright © 2019-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 23-Feb-2019
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.