| Long-tailed Giant Ichneumon (Megarhyssa macrurus) (Linnaeus, 1771) |
| Synonyms: Ichneumon lunator, Ichneumon macrurus, Megarhyssa lunator, Megarhyssa lunatrix, long-tailed giant ichneumon wasp |
Megarhyssa macrurus is found in deciduous forests and woodlands of North America east of the Rocky Mountains from southern Canada to northern Mexico. It has a reddish-brown elongated body with black and yellow bands, up to 51 mm; the wings are transparent with some dark markings. Females possess very long ovipositor, up to 80 mm in length. The ovipositor comprises three filaments, the middle one of which is the actual ovipositor, capable of drilling into wood, and the outer filaments are sheaths protecting the ovipositor, arcing out to the sides during egg-laying. This species is a parasitoid of the larvae of Pigeon Horntail (Tremex columba, Hymenoptera). Female M. macrurus is capable of detecting these larvae in decaying wood; it drills through several centimetres of wood with its ovipositor, paralyses the larva, and lays its egg on it. After the Megarhyssa larva hatches, it consumes its host and pupates, emerging as an adult the following summer.
 female.JPG) |
D63192 Long-tailed Giant Ichneumon (Megarhyssa macrurus), female Mississippi Mills, Lanark County Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved |
 female.JPG)
 female.JPG)