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Species guide - species detail

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Dichrogaster sp. (Ichneumonid parasitic wasp)

Images

No images available.

Taxonomy

The genus Dichrogaster is in the family Ichneumonidae. Ichneumonidae are parasitic wasps that use their long ovipositors to deposit eggs on, into, or near an insect host. It is a large family, with over 3300 described species in North America. We only had one Dichrogaster sp. in the Bee Atlas project. It emerged from a block located in Scott County in 2016.

Description

Ichneumonids are typically slender wasps with long ovipositors, sometimes up to twice as long as their body. They have long antennae with 16 or more antennal segments.

Nest Structure

Most Ichneumonids are parasitoids whose larvae feed and develop on a single host, although some species' larvae are mobile and will feed on more than one host. Hosts include a wide range of insects in the orders Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, Neuroptera, and Mecoptera, and spiders and spider egg sacs. Most Ichneumonids are solitary. No insect host emerged from the Bee Atlas nest that produced the Dichrogaster sp.

Hole Sizes

No information at this time.

Voltinism

No information at this time.

Activity Period

No information at this time.

References

Triplehorn, C.A and N.F. Johnson. 2005. Borror and DeLong's introduction to the study of insects, 7th ed. Thomson, Brooks/Cole, Australia. Thank you to John Luhman for identifying all of our Ichneumonid specimens.

Minnesota Record Map

These data are from the Minnesota Bee Atlas project.

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