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Ichneumonidae
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
I shot this insect at my native place in the hills in August last year. It was identifed as a member of Ichneumonidae family by my friend Radomir when I posted its first picture some time ago.
This second picture has poor focus on the head but reasonably good details elsewhere. I had to crop a bit of its long antennae to keep the size of the main body large. Hope you do not find it that bad.
Here is the note on the Ichneumonidae in general borrowed from Wikipedia:
Ichneumonidae is a family within the insect Order Hymenoptera. Insects in this family are commonly called ichneumon flies, ichneumon wasps, or simply ichneumons. Ichneumon wasps are important parasitoids of other insects. Common hosts are larvae and pupae of Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera. There are approximately 3,000 species in North America - more than any other Hymenoptera family. They differ from the wasps that sting (Aculeata: Vespoidea and Apoidea) in that the antennae have more segments; typically 16 or more, whereas the others have 13 or fewer. Female ichneumons frequently exhibit an ovipositor longer than their body. Ovipositors and stingers are homologous structures; some Ichneumons inject venom along with the egg, but they do not use the ovipositor as a stinger, per se, except in the subfamily Ophioninae. Stingers in aculeate Hymenoptera are used exclusively for defense; they cannot be used as egg-laying equipment. Males do not possess stingers/ovipositors in either lineage.
Some species of ichneumon wasps lay their eggs in the ground, but most inject them directly into a host's body, typically into a larva or pupa.
In some of the largest species, in the genera Megarhyssa and Rhyssa, both sexes will wander over the surface of logs, and tree trunks, tapping with their antennae. Each sex does so for a different reason; females are 'listening' for wood boring larvae of the horntail wasps (hymenopteran family Siricidae) upon which to lay eggs, males are listening for emerging females with which to mate. Upon sensing the vibrations emitted by such a wood-boring insect larva, the female wasp will drill her ovipositor into the substrate until it reaches the cavity wherein lies the larva. She then injects an egg through the hollow tube into the poor unfortunate's home. There the egg will hatch and the resulting larva will devour its host before emergence. How a female is able to drill with her ovipositor into solid wood is still somewhat of a mystery to science, though it has been found that there is metal (ionized manganese or zinc) in the extreme tip of some species' ovipositors.
TFL. |
Jamesp, JORAPAVI, matatur has marked this note useful
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Hola Ram,
Aunque no es de las mejores fotos que tienes, es una buena foto donde se aprecian bien las formas y colores de esta pequeña avispilla, me gusta la composición elegida. Saludos
José Ramón
- lousat
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1082 W: 6 N: 2999]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(11116) - [2008-02-11 4:29]
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Hi Ram,the pic is not perfect but the specie and the note are very interestings,thanks for share,LUCIANO
Yea, the forward parts of this ichneumon wasp (?) are not in good focus, but the rest is Ram, with good definition. Your POV I think was unlucky, a little higher and the whole wasp might be in focus, also that f/5.6 could be better if f/8 eh? And the BG, well it is perfect!
Mehmet
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- demeve
(4172)
- [2008-02-11 20:23]
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Hello Ram,
Just marking Today, No time..
Everton
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- Jamesp
(15074)
- [2008-02-11 23:40]
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Hi Ram
Beautifully framed with lovely contrasting colours - I just wish it didn't make my skin crawl!! (I am an insect wimp)!
James
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 782 W: 73 N: 955]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(3086)