Polysphincta boops

Polysphincta boops is a species belonging to the family Ichneumonidae subfamily Pimplinae.[2]

Polysphincta boops
Polysphincta boops – Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Hymenoptera
Family:
Ichneumonidae
Genus:
Polysphincta
Species:
P. boops
Binomial name
Polysphincta boops
Tschek, 1868
Synonyms
  • Polysphincta eltshaninovi Shestakov, 1927[1]

Distribution and habitat

This species is present in Europe.[3] These insects are mostly arboreal. They inhabit trees and bushes in a wide range of areas.

Description

The adults of Polysphincta boops grow up to 8–11 millimetres (0.31–0.43 in) long, with an ovipositor of 4.3–5 millimetres (0.17–0.20 in). They are among the largest species in the Polysphincta genus-group in Europe. They are characterised by a black body, with yellow scutellum, postscutellum, mandibles and legs. Females show a very long ovipositor.

Biology

This wasp parasitizes exclusively adults of spiders (Araniella species, mainly Araniella cucurbitina and Araniella opisthographa).[4][5] When the egg deposited by the females hatches, larvae feed on the spiders' hemolymph. These insects overwinter as a small larva on their host.

Bibliography

References
Wikispecies has information related to Polysphincta boops.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Polysphincta boops.
  1. Shestakov, A. (1927) Species novae Ichneumonidarum subfamiliae Pimplinarum., Revue Russe d'Entom. 21:220-224.
  2. Biolib
  3. Fauna europaea
  4. Stanislav Korenko, Kristýna Kysilková & Ľudmila Černecká Further records of two spider-parasitoids of the genus Polysphincta (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ephialtini) from Central Europe, with notes on their host interactions
  5. Parasite of the day
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