Ichneumon (Ophion Luteus)


I found this Ophion flying around in a caravan we were staying in while on a weekend break with friends. They are fairly harmless, (the Ophions of course) but can look a bit scary with what most people think of as a stinger, but it is only their small ovipositor which is used to parasitise caterpillars. It is not as long as the larger Ichneumon wasps ovipositor.

Comments

  1. This is actually Netelia sp., a superficially similar genus. Female Ophion have much shorter, barely noticeable ovipositors.

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