Diphyus quadripunctorius (Muller, 1776)
(Four-spotted Cave Ichneumon)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesDiphyus quadripunctorius (Four-spotted Cave Ichneumon)
GenusDiphyus (a genus of ichneumon wasps)
TribeIchneumonini (a tribe of ichneumonine ichneumons)
SubfamilyICHNEUMONINAE (ichneumonine ichneumon wasps)
FamilyICHNEUMONIDAE (ichneumon wasps)
SuperfamilyICHNEUMONOIDEA (braconid and ichneumon parasitic wasps)
SuborderAPOCRITA (bees, wasps, ants and parasitoids)
OrderHYMENOPTERA (ants, bees and wasps, sawflies and parasitoid wasps)
Division Endopterygota (bees, beetles, flies, moths and other insects with wings developing internally)
InfraclassNeoptera (bees, beetles, flies, grasshoppers, moths and other advanced insects)
SubclassPTERYGOTA (bees, beetles, dragonflies, flies, grasshoppers, moths and other winged insects)
ClassINSECTA (true insects)
SubphylumHEXAPODA (insects and other 6-legged organisms)
PhylumARTHROPODA (arthropods)
SuperphylumECDYSOZOA (skin shedders)
CladeBilateria (bilaterally symmetrical animals)
SubkingdomEUMETAZOA (metazoans)
KingdomANIMALIA (animals)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
Records of Diphyus quadripunctorius (Four-spotted Cave Ichneumon) :
1: Diphyus quadripunctorius (Four-spotted Cave Ichneumon)
6 Jul 2023 OSGR: SU01 50° 60’ N, 1° 60’ W Vice County: South Wilts (VC 8) England
A rather dilapidated male, visiting Hogweed
Image 1: Male - aedeagus valve - outer view - microscope low magnification - white backgroundImage 2: Male - dorsal view - close-up - silver backgroundImage 3: Male - dorsal view - silver backgroundImage 4: Male - hypopygium - ventral view - microscope low magnification - white backgroundImage 5: Male - lateral view - close-up - silver backgroundImage 6: Male - lateral view - silver backgroundImage 7: Male - paramere - inner view - microscope low magnification - white backgroundImage 8: Male - paramere - inner view - microscope low magnification - white background (2)Image 9: Male - tip of aedeagus valve - outer view - microscope low magnification - white backgroundImage 10: Male - ventral view - close-up - silver backgroundImage 11: Male - anterior coxae and mesosternum - ventral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 12: Male - flagellum with tyloids - magnified - silver backgroundImage 13: Male - head and antennal bases - anterior view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 14: Male - head and antennal bases - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 15: Male - head and antennal bases - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 16: Male - head and antennal bases - postero-dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 17: Male - head and antennal bases - ventral view - close-up - magnified - silver backgroundImage 18: Male - head and antennal bases - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 19: Male - head and mesosoma - antero-dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 20: Male - head and mesosoma - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 21: Male - head and mesosoma - postero-dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 22: Male - head - anterior view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 23: Male - mesosoma - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 24: Male - mesosoma - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 25: Male - mesosoma - ventral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 26: Male - petiole and base of T2 - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 27: Male - petiole and T2 - dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 28: Male - posterior coxae - ventral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 29: Male - post-petiole and base of T2 - dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 30: Male - propodeum and petiole - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 31: Male - propodeum - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 32: Male - scutellum and propodeum - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 33: Male - tyloids - magnified - silver background
2: Diphyus quadripunctorius (Four-spotted Cave Ichneumon)
12 May 2021 OSGR: SU22 51° 0’ N, 1° 40’ W Vice County: South Wilts (VC 8) England
Female, unspotted form, visiting Wood Spurge
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - silver backgroundImage 2: Female - ventral view - close-up - enlarged - silver background
3: Diphyus quadripunctorius (Four-spotted Cave Ichneumon)
12 May 2021 OSGR: SU22 51° 0’ N, 1° 40’ W Vice County: South Wilts (VC 8) England
Female, four-spotted form, visiting Wood Spurge
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - silver backgroundImage 2: Female - lateral view - silver backgroundImage 3: Female - head and antennal base - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 4: Female - head and antennal bases - anterior view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 5: Female - head and antennal bases - postero-dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 6: Female - head and prothorax - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 7: Female - head and thorax - anttero-dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 8: Female - head and thorax - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 9: Female - head and thorax - postero-dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 10: Female - head - anterior view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 11: Female - head - antero-dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 12: Female - head - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 13: Female - hind coxae - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 14: Female - mesosternum and mid-coxae - ventral view - close-up - magnified - silver backgroundImage 15: Female - mesosternum and mid-coxae - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 16: Female - mid- and hind-coxae - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 17: Female - petiole and gastrocoeli - dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 18: Female - petiole and T2 - dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 19: Female - propodeum and petiole - lateral view - close-up - magnified - silver backgroundImage 20: Female - propodeum and petiole - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 21: Female - scutellum and propodeum - dorsal view - close-up - magnified - silver backgroundImage 22: Female - scutellum and propodeum - dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 23: Female - ventral view - close-up - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 24: Female - ovipositor - lateral view - microscope low magnification - silver background
4: Diphyus quadripunctorius (Four-spotted Cave Ichneumon)
4 Jul 2011 OSGR: SU56 51° 20’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Female, indoors, in passage, 6pm.
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - grey backgroundImage 2: Female - dorsal view - grey background (2)Image 3: Female - lateral view - grey backgroundImage 4: Female - lateral view - white backgroundImage 5: Female - head and thorax - lateral view - highly enlargedImage 6: Female - ovipositor - magnifiedImage 7: Female - propodeum and petiole - dorsal view - magnifiedImage 8: Female - thorax - dorsal view - magnifiedImage 9: Female - thorax - lateral view - highly enlargedImage 10: Wings - highly enlarged
5: Diphyus quadripunctorius (Four-spotted Cave Ichneumon)
17 Jul 2005 OSGR: SU56 51° 20’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Female, entered house on hot sunny day
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - grey backgroundImage 2: Female - ventral view - grey background

Diphyus quadripunctorius (Four-spotted Cave Ichneumon) may be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Diphyus quadripunctorius (Four-spotted Cave Ichneumon)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 0 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Diphyus quadripunctorius (Four-spotted Cave Ichneumon)
Creative Commons License
This website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, all original material on the BioImages website by Malcolm Storey is licensed under the above Creative Commons Licence.

Photographs from other photographers are used with permission but not included under the above CC licence.

BioImages - Virtual Field-Guide (UK)