Ichneumon Wasp (Female)

Black wasp with long abdomen, and some yellow markings at the sides of head and thorax. About 12mm in body length including the short ovipositor, but excluding the antennae.

Ichneumonidae is a family within the insect order Hymenoptera. Insects in this family are called Ichneumon Wasps or Ichneumonids. Less exact terms are Ichneumon Flies (they are not closely related to true flies), or Scorpion Wasps due to the extreme lengthening and curving of the abdomen (scorpions are arachnids). Ichneumon wasps differ from typical wasps by having more antennal segments; typically 16 or more, whereas the others have 13 or fewer. Female ichneumon wasps frequently exhibit an ovipositor longer than their body. This spotting though has a very short ovipositor. Ovipositors and stingers are homologous structures. Males do not possess stingers or ovipositors.

The adult ichneumons feed on nectar, but the larvae feed on the internal tissues of other insects. Hence, ichneumon wasps are considered in agriculture as important and beneficial parasitoids of harmful insects. The female hunts for an active caterpillar and deposits one egg on its body, often high on the thorax where the caterpillar can't reach it. The ichneumon larva burrows into the host, eventually killing it but usually after the caterpillar spins a cocoon. The larva then pupates inside the host's remains.