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Family Orussidae - Parasitic Wood Wasps

Wasp ID - Orussus terminalis Wasp ID - Orussus terminalis Wood Wasp - Orussus - male Small Sawfly? - Orussus Parasitic Wood Wasp - Orussus - male Parasitic Wood Wasp - Orussus - male - female Orussidae - Orussus minutus Orussidae - Orussus minutus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Sawflies, Horntails, and Wood Wasps)
Family Orussidae (Parasitic Wood Wasps)
Numbers
Nomina Insecta Neartica lists 4 North American genera totaling 9 species.
Size
8-14 mm
Identification
Frontwing with only 1 submarginal cell. Antennae rise below the eyes, just above the mouth. (1)
You can tell the family by the low attachment of the antennae and the spikes/nodules on the frons. (Comment by Matt Bertone)
Food
Larvae are parasites of Metallic Wood-boring beetles (Family Buprestidae).
Remarks
This is a small and relatively rare group.
See Also
Adults resemble Horntail wasps, but are much smaller.
Print References
"Peterson's Field Guide to Insects" p. 316 (1)
Internet References
The University of Wisconsin has several species listed in their collection.
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles also has severl species listed.
And, though it is out of our country, the Zoological Museum at the University of Copenhagen has a photo and some information.
Works Cited
1.A Field Guide to Insects
By Richard E. White, Donald J. Borror, Roger Tory Peterson