| Dusona falcator | |
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| Species: | D.falcator |
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| Dusona falcator Fabricius, 1775 | |
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Dusona falcator is a large species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae. It is a parasitoid of the Buff-tip moth. [1] It is one of the largest known species of Camopleginae, able to reach sizes over 20mm. [2] The species can be found throughout the Palearctic realm. [3]
Head, antennae and thorax black. Central segments of abdomen yellow, first and distal segments black. Front and middle legs almost entirety yellow, hind femurs and tarsi mostly black. Hind tibiae yellow at least apically. Depression in front of the speculum on the mesopleuron for the greater part with longitudinal striae. Size 17-20mm, 62-67 flagellomeres. It can be hard to distinguish D. falcator from closely related species such as Dusona obliterata, who has a similar color pattern and size. A clear difference that can be used for identification is that D. obliterata almost entirely lacks the distinct longitudinal striae infront of the speculum (depression might have a few striae dorsally, granulate-strigose ventrally). It is also on average slightly smaller (14-17 mm) and often has fewer flagellar segments (59-66). [4]
Females attack larvae of the buff-tip moth during the summer and lays her eggs inside their bodies. The wasp's larva develops by eating the tissue of the host, eventually killing it. The wasp overwinters inside of the moths pupa before emerging. [1]
The Ichneumonidae, also known as ichneumon wasps, ichneumonid wasps, ichneumonids, or Darwin wasps, are a family of parasitoid wasps of the insect order Hymenoptera. They are one of the most diverse groups within the Hymenoptera with roughly 25,000 species currently described. However, this likely represents less than a quarter of their true richness as reliable estimates are lacking, along with much of the most basic knowledge about their ecology, distribution, and evolution. It is estimated that there are more species in this family than there are species of birds and mammals combined. Ichneumonid wasps, with very few exceptions, attack the immature stages of holometabolous insects and spiders, eventually killing their hosts. They thus fulfill an important role as regulators of insect populations, both in natural and semi-natural systems, making them promising agents for biological control.
Campopleginae is a large subfamily of the parasitoid wasp family Ichneumonidae with a world-wide distribution. Species in this subfamily have been used in the biological control of the alfalfa weevil, clover weevil, various species of Heliothis, oriental army worm, European corn borer, larch sawfly, and others.
Amblyteles armatorius is a species of parasitic wasp in the family Ichneumonidae first described by Johann Reinhold Forster in 1771.
Anomalon cruentatum is a species of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae.
Megarhyssa macrurus, also known as the long-tailed giant ichneumonid wasp or long-tailed giant ichneumon wasp, is a species of large ichneumon wasp. It is a parasitoid, notable for its extremely long ovipositor which it uses to deposit an egg into a tunnel in dead wood bored by its host, the larva of a similarly large species of horntail.
Cymodusa is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Ichneumonidae.
Hylaeus agilis is a bee species in the family Colletidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. This species is found throughout the country and visits the flowers of a wide variety of plant species, both native and introduced.
Leucospis dorsigera is a species of wasp belonging to the family Leucospidae.
Pimpla rufipes, the black slip wasp, is a species of wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae. It is distributed across Europe, Asia, and northern Africa.
Netelia is a genus of ichneumonid wasps in the subfamily Tryphoninae. There are over 330 described species in Netelia grouped into 12 subgenera.
Dusona is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae. It is the most species rich genus of the subfamily Campopleginae with 442 known species.
Dusona admontina is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae. It is a parasitoid of the larvae of Herminia grisealis.
Dusona abdominator is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae.
Dusona aemula is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae. It is a parasitoid of Geometrid moth larvae, mainly Eupithecia species.
Dusona juvenilis is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae. It is a parasitoid of Eupithecia haworthiata larvae.
Dusona leptogaster is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae. It is a parasitoid of Geometrid moth larvae, the two known hosts being Alsophila aescularia and Lomaspilis marginata.
Dusona nidulator is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae. It is a parasitoid, but the host is unknown.
Dusona terebrator is a species of parasitic wasp belonging to the family Ichneumonidae, subfamily Campopleginae. It is a parasitoid of Noctuid moth larvae.
Callidora is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae and the subfamily Campopleginae. It is relatively species poor, with only five recognized species.
Aiura is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae and the subfamily Campopleginae.