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Project Noah Nature School
Very small wasp of about 4 mm in length. Black with pale blue stripes on the thorax and orange legs. Probably a male. Family Ichneumonidae.
Came to an ultraviolet light in the garden, San Cristobal de Las Casas, 2,200 meters.
This is similar to, but not the same species as a previous spotting for a mini-Ichneumonid: https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/24....
Spotted on Apr 1, 2013
Submitted on Apr 3, 2013
5 Comments
Thank you John. Good to know all that. I'll separate the two wasps into 2 spottings. Maybe I'll find the females for both someday. How nice you've been to Chiapas! Wonderful place.
Hola Lauren
Yes, ichneumonids can display sexual dimorphism - although not as much as is seen in some of the other wasp groups and it is often limited to simply the shape of the abdomen and whether there is a clearly visible (and often quite long) ovipositor. Having said that, there are quite a few ichneumonids that don't have a conspicuously extended ovipositor.
Just as a suspicion - I figure both the wasps in the pictures are males, and that they are different species.
PS - I spent some very enjoyable time collecting small wasps in Chiapas slightly over 30 years ago!
@John LaSalle, hello, can Ichneumonid wasps display sexual dimorphism? Do I have two sexes here, or two species?
Thank you John, I wasn't sure.
Ichneumonidae