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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » "Symphyta" - Sawflies, Horntails, and Wood Wasps » Horntail Wasps (Siricidae) » Tremecinae » Xeris » caudatus or melancholicus (Xeris caudatus or melancholicus)
Photo#946105
Horntail - Xeris - female
Copyright © 2014 Fran K

Horntail - Xeris - Female
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
June 26, 2014
Size: body just over 3/4"
Larger than the other ichneumons I've posted. (I thought this was an ichneumon!).. apparently not! It's a horntail. Awesome quick work by Bob to ID this and move it to its rightful place. Found on a dead fir tree in the neighbour's yard. (our 12 year old granddaughter brought it over to us in a container to show me as she knows I love bugs. She released it back onto the fir tree where she found it. Not sure if that's a good thing? Will have to research to see if this is a pest of sorts? Regina is on a flat treeless prairie, all trees planted in this city have been planted by hand since our 1883 inception. Elevation 577 m (1,893 ft).
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Contributed by Fran K on 27 June, 2014 - 9:03pm
Last updated 29 June, 2014 - 11:02am

Moved
Moved from Xeris.
… v belov, 29 June, 2014 - 11:00am login or register to post comments

Siricidae
Xeris sp. Either Xeris caudatus Cresson or Xeris melancholicus (Westwood). Both occur in Saskatchewan but are difficult to distinguish morphologically.
… Dave Smith, 28 June, 2014 - 7:30pm login or register to post comments

 
sp.
Cool! Thank you, Dave. And to Vassili for the move.
… Fran K, 29 June, 2014 - 1:19pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Buathra laborator.
… Bob Carlson, 27 June, 2014 - 10:10pm login or register to post comments

 
really?
wow! my fist Horntail spotted. Way cool. Thank you so much, Bob for the ID and the move. Muchly appreciated. :)
… Fran K, 28 June, 2014 - 8:14am login or register to post comments

 
No Harm
Releasing the specimen would be of no consequence, as according to the the 2012 paper by Schiff et al. cited on the info page, species of Xeris only oviposit in trees that have already been attacked by one of the other woodwasp genera, as they do not themselves have the capacity for inoculating the wood with the fungus that the other woodwasp genera rely on for digesting the wood.

In view of the paucity of Xeris images on BG, it would seem that you have gotten a photo of something much less commonly observed than Buathra laborator.
… Bob Carlson, 28 June, 2014 - 2:50pm login or register to post comments

 
releasing etc
Thank you, Bob for your reply/explanation. Very interesting. Yes, was quite pleased to have seen it!
… Fran K, 28 June, 2014 - 4:26pm login or register to post comments

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