Beneficial Species Profile
Photo credit: Tom Murray, PBase.com
Common Name: Ichneumon Wasps
Scientific Name: Megarhyssa atrata
Order and Family: Hymenoptera; Icheumonidae
Size and Appearance:
Length (mm) Appearance Egg - 1 egg per host burrow - Tiny, fluid-like
Larva/Nymph - Grub-like
Adult - Large, thin-bodied, black wasp with yellow spots Female: - A yellow rounded-triangular head that has Body: 38 mm a dark colored band that runs between its Ovipositor: 130 mm compound eyes Antennae: 24 mm - A second band runs laterally across the Male: head Body: 35 mm - Yellow antennae Antennae: 13 mm - Females have a long ovipositor
Pupa (if applicable) - Pupation occurs within the tree trunk
Type of feeder (Chewing, sucking, etc.): Larvae have chewing mouthparts while adults are non-feeding.
Host/s: Parasitoid of wood-boring insects found in dead deciduous trees.
Description of Benefits (predator, parasitoid, pollinator, etc.): Female Ichneumon wasps will lay their eggs next to Horntail eggs within tree trunks. The Ichneumon larvae will wait until the Horntail larvae are almost fully mature before hatching. Upon hatching, the Ichneumon larvae will parasitize the Horntail larvae then feed on the parasitized larvae until pupation.
References: Adams, I. (2012, September 12). Drill, Baby Drill! The Ins and Outs of Ichneumon Wasps (Photos by Cheryl Osgood). Retrieved September 21, 2017, from http://ianadamsphotography.com/news/drill-baby-drill-the-ins-and-outs-of-ichneumon-wasps/
Coin, P., & Entz, C. (2004, August 29). Species Megarhyssa atrata. Retrieved September 21, 2017, from http://bugguide.net/node/view/6324
InsectIdentification.org. (2017, August 15). Giant Ichneumon Wasp Bug Information. Retrieved September 21, 2017, from https://www.insectidentification.org/insect- description.asp?identification=Giant-Ichneumon-Wasp-Megarhyssa-Atrata
Klein, S. (2012). Megarhyssa atrata. Retrieved December 2, 2016, from http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Megarhyssa_atrata/