Ichneumon wasp  (Ophion luteus)

This slender parasitic wasp has a yellowish or orange coloured body with a distinctive ‘waist’ (2) and a very short ovipositor (3). They are sometimes mistakenly called flies, but they are wasps, with two pairs of clear membranous wings (3) and long antennae (4). There are 1200 species of ichneumon wasp in Britain alone (3) and this is the largest family of insects known, with over 60,000 species worldwide (4).

Common in Britain (1). Species belonging to the genus Ophion are found around the world (5).

Ophion species are found in a wide range of habitats, but tend to occur in woodlands and farmland (5).

Ichneumon wasps are parasitoids; females lay their eggs on a caterpillar and the wasp larva burrows into and develops inside this host, eating its internal tissues and eventually killing it after it pupates. The adult ichneumon flies emerge from the remains of the dead host and are active at night (1) (2). Two generations are produced each year; the adults of the first generation are present from May to June, those of the second generation from November to December (1).

This species is not threatened at present.

Conservation action has not been targeted at this common species.

For more on invertebrates see Buglife, the invertebrate conservation trust:
http://www.buglife.org.uk/

This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact:
arkive@wildscreen.org.uk