Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Heresiarchini, Ichneumonini, Protichneumonini.
Numbers
Second largest subfamily of the family Ichneumonidae.
Identification
Colorful appearance, dorsoventrally depressed abdomen, long propodeum, pentagonal areolet, and large size. Truncate
clypeus exposing the labium.
Food
Adults feed on honey dew of aphids and on certain plant foliage.
Life Cycle
All individuals of this subfamily are internal parasites of the order Lepidoptera. Although females oviposit one egg into either larvae or pupae, the offspring always emerge from the pupa. Ichneumoninae are endoparasitic idiobionts. An idiobiont has a wide range of hosts and it eats, kills, or paralyzes the host immediately after oviposition therefore resulting in no continuation of development. An endoparasite feeds internally on its host whereas an ectoparasite feeds externally. Female Ichneumoninae look for hosts on the ground and have short ovipositors, possibly as a result of their host usually being a naked larvae. Typically, adult females hibernate and search for hosts in the spring.
Remarks
Adults have a general dislike of intense amounts of heat and sunlight and therefore are not usually found during the middle of the day.
