Species Rhyssella nitida

an ichneumon - Rhyssella nitida - female

Neoxorides? Ichneumonid Wasp - Rhyssella nitida

Ichneumon wasp Tribe Ephialtini ? - Rhyssella nitida - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)

No Taxon ("Parasitica" - Parasitoid Wasps)

Superfamily Ichneumonoidea (Braconid and Ichneumonid Wasps)

Family Ichneumonidae (Ichneumonid Wasps)

Subfamily Rhyssinae

Genus Rhyssella

Species nitida (Rhyssella nitida)

Explanation of Names

Rhyssella nitida (Cresson, 1864)

from the Latin nitida ('shining, polished, glittering, handsome, sleek')

Identification

Identified as Rhyssinae by the ridged mesoscutum and lack of anterolateral grooves on T2 of the abdomen and as Rhyssella by the smaller size, lack of a median tooth on the clypeus, basal fusing of the first sternite and tergite, general black-white-orange coloration, and lesser to no white markings on the first four segments of the abdomen. It is further separated from R. humida by the black posterior orbits (creating two vertical white lines on the face rather than loops), entirely black sternum, and in females only slight bands on the apical segments of the abdomen.(1)

♀

♂

Range

eastern (ME south to GA, west to MN & IA) plus BC & WA

Food

Xiphydria canadensis, Xiphydria maculata,(2) Xiphydria tibialis.

Works Cited

1.	The North American Ichneumon-flies of the Tribes Labenini, Rhyssini, Xoridini, Odontomerini, and Phytodietini S.A. Rohwer. 1920. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 57: 405-474.

2.	Carlson R.W. () Ichneumonidae catalog

Contributed by Bob Carlson on 15 January, 2010 - 8:27pm
Additional contributions by PaleoJon
Last updated 26 November, 2024 - 9:57am

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