Orchid Dupe Wasp - female
Lissopimpla excelsa
-37.9513, 145.254
Field Notes
Description:
This elegant ichneumon wasp had orange head, thorax, antennae, legs and last abdominal segment. The other abdominal segments were black with a single white dot on either side of mid line of 4 segments. Wings appeared black as was the medium-sized ovipositor. Antennae were extremely long and slender, curling at the ends.
Habitat:
Flew onto a tea-tree and actively searched for something before it too-off again. Spotted in a national park amongst tea-trees.
Notes:
These wasps are called "orchid dupes" because some orchids (like the tongue-orchid in the spotting below) mimic the smell of female wasps of this genus thus attracting males of the wasp species and ensuring that pollination occurs. <br>
The females lay their eggs into caterpillars on which the wasp larvae feed on hatching. <br>
Family: Ichneumonidae <br>
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