Lonely Ichneumon Wasp
S1, Female, Face
Yellow-faced Moth Parasitic Wasp
Male, profile
Animals
Plants
Info
| Lonely Ichneumon Wasp S1, Female, Face | | Yellow-faced Moth Parasitic Wasp Male, profile | | ||
Animals Plants Info |
 | Class: | Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta) | ||||||||||||
| Order: | Ant Bee Wasps (Hymenoptera) | |||||||||||||
| Family: | Ichneumon Wasp (Wasp: Ichneumonoidea: Ichneumonidae) iNaturalist Observation | |||||||||||||
| Species: | Yellow-faced Moth Parasitic Wasp (Enicospilus skeltonii)| This Photo: | 🔍Male, dorsal🔎 | Thank you Rachel Behm for confirming the id of this species for us General Species Information: Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), the Flinders Ranges and elsewhere Note the different wing venation to other similar Ichneumonidae. This genus is well known for having a clear patch in it's forewing. Most of the wing is covered in tiny hairs. In the disco-submarginal cell, there is an area that is free of hair; this area, clear patch, is called the fenestra. The shape & size of the fenestra varies with different species. In fact, other genera also have this fenestra. Within this fenestra, and surrounding it, are patches of cuticle called sclerite. The size, shape & arrangement of the sclerite is diagnostic for each species. Along with the fenestra & sclerites, there are small areas of the wing vein that are white, rather than dark. Again, these white areas are diagnostic. Further notice the thick edge of the forewing near the middle. This is known as the pterostigma, and their size, shape & colour are also diagnostic features. Similar Species: Orange Caterpillar Parasite Wasp (Netelia sp ES01)
| |||||||||||