Subfamily Ophioninae

Classification · Identification · Remarks · Print References · Works Cited

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)

No Taxon (parasitic Apocrita)

Superfamily Ichneumonoidea (Braconids and Ichneumons)

Family Ichneumonidae (Ichneumon Wasps)

Subfamily Ophioninae

Identification

Females have a very compressed abdomen and a short, very sharp ovipositor. The ovipositor of Ophioninae can penetrate the skin; most other Ichneumons can't really sting.

Gavin Broad (Dept. of Entomology, Nat. Hist. Mus., London, UK) has produced a very useful key to the subfamilies of Ichneumonidae which can be downloaded as PDF. Though written for the UK, on the subfamily level (for the subfamilies occurring in North America, and certainly for the Ophioninae), it seems to be a useful tool.

Remarks

They are parasites of caterpillars.

Print References

(1)

Works Cited

1.	Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects By Norman F. Johnson, Charles A. Triplehorn

Contributed by john and jane balaban on 22 February, 2006 - 10:25pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Hartmut Wisch
Last updated 1 November, 2006 - 11:30am

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