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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » parasitic Apocrita » Braconids and Ichneumons (Ichneumonoidea) » Ichneumon Wasps (Ichneumonidae) » Rhyssinae » Giant Ichneumons (Megarhyssa) » Megarhyssa macrurus
Photo#19699
Megarhyssa female ovipositing - Megarhyssa macrurus - female
Copyright © 2005 Bruce Marlin

Megarhyssa female ovipositing - Megarhyssa macrurus - Female
Winfield, DuPage County, Illinois, USA
June 9, 2005
Size: 2" plus
I'm fairly sure this is a Megarhyssa female. I've caught several of these wasps ovipositing over the last few days (as well as males hanging around by the score). My question is: does anyone know what's going on with the ovipositor itself? I think it consists of three parts, a tube and 2 'guides'. But does the abdomen open up? It looks like it, Can anyone explain this or have a diagram? And am I correct in my genus? Anyone care to put a species on it?

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Megarhyssa female ovipositing - Megarhyssa macrurus - female Megarhyssa female ovipositing - Megarhyssa macrurus - female Megarhyssa female ovipositing - Megarhyssa macrurus - female
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Contributed by Bruce Marlin on 10 June, 2005 - 2:56pm
Last updated 23 October, 2006 - 5:28pm

Some insects have an oviposit
Some insects have an ovipositor with 2 halves of a sheath that surround it. The sheath protects the ovipositor, then opens up when in use.
… bulrush, 27 June, 2007 - 3:10pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Orange and Brown.
… john and jane balaban, 23 October, 2006 - 5:28pm login or register to post comments

Megarhyssa Ovipositing
Bruce,
I observed the very same thing last night. I do agree, it did seem like the abdomen does open up. As for the ovipositor, I am not sure how it is constructed but your description makes some sense. I will tell you this however, they are as strong as 12lb fishing line. I have a whole bunch that I am observing at the moment around the stump of a tree that I cut down. They are pretty interesting to watch. I didn't know what they were until I stumbled upon this site. That's all for now.

Tony Esposito
… Tony Esposito, 15 June, 2005 - 6:42pm login or register to post comments

 
Photo Essay
Tony - are your wasps the same variety? Do we have a species? I'm not sure I want to know how you know the lb.- test of an ovipositor =:)
I've constructed a photo essay with a whole series of hi-res photos of these wasps egg-laying, as well as one with male wasps.
http://www.cirrusimage.com/hymenoptera_ichneumon_megarhyssa_fem.htm
http://www.cirrusimage.com/hymenoptera_ichneumon_megarhyssa.htm
… Bruce Marlin, 15 June, 2005 - 7:17pm login or register to post comments

 
Re: Photo essay
Your photo essay is spectacular, I recommend it to everybody.
… Beatriz Moisset, 16 June, 2005 - 8:29am login or register to post comments

 
yes
quite amazing. It looked to me like the ovipositor split down the center?
… Lynette Schimming, 16 June, 2005 - 8:35am login or register to post comments

Spectacular!
I am waiting for someone to answer your questions. I am curious too.
… Beatriz Moisset, 10 June, 2005 - 6:42pm login or register to post comments

Bruce,
your photo is incredible. Great one.
… Lynette Schimming, 10 June, 2005 - 4:55pm login or register to post comments

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