Gelis agilis (Fabricius, 1775)
(Black Garden-ant-mimic Ichneumon)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesGelis agilis (Black Garden-ant-mimic Ichneumon)
GenusGelis (ant-mimic ichneumon wasps)
SubfamilyPHYGADEUONTINAE (phygadeuontine 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 Gelis agilis (Black Garden-ant-mimic Ichneumon) :
1: Gelis agilis (Black Garden-ant-mimic Ichneumon)
6 Sep 2022 OSGR: ST91 50° 60’ N, 2° 0’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
Female, swept from mowed grass at side of path
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 2: Female - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 3: Female - ventral view - highly enlarged - silver background
2: Gelis agilis (Black Garden-ant-mimic Ichneumon)
16 Nov 2020 OSGR: SU00 50° 50’ N, 1° 60’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
Female swept off Heather
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 2: Female - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver background
3: Gelis agilis (Black Garden-ant-mimic Ichneumon)
6 Mar 2020 OSGR: SU01 50° 60’ N, 1° 60’ W Vice County: South Wilts (VC 8) England
Female, inside Tor Grass tussock
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - close-up - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 2: Female - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 3: Female - front three-quarter view - highly enlarged - silver background
4: Gelis agilis (Black Garden-ant-mimic Ichneumon)
1 Mar 2020 OSGR: SU01 50° 60’ N, 1° 60’ W Vice County: South Wilts (VC 8) England
Female, in Tor Grass tussock
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 2: Female - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 3: Female - ventral view - highly enlarged - silver background
5: Gelis agilis (Black Garden-ant-mimic Ichneumon)
25 Jan 2020 OSGR: SY67 50° 30’ N, 2° 30’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
Wingless females, in Tor Grass tussock, beside path by recently mown area
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 2: Female - head and thorax - ventral view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 3: Female - head and thorax with postannellus laid over mesosternum - ventral view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 4: Female - head - ventral view - microscope low magnification - silver background
6: Gelis agilis (Black Garden-ant-mimic Ichneumon)
22 Apr 2019 OSGR: SY67 50° 30’ N, 2° 30’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
Female, emerged from material collected from the bottom of Browntail larval nests, along with *Meteorus versicolor*
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 2: Female - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 3: Female - ventral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 4: Female - head and antennal bases - anterior view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 5: Female - head - anterior view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 6: Female - head - dorsal view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 7: Female - head - postero-lateral view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 8: Female - head, thorax and propodeum - dorsal view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 9: Female - head, thorax and propodeum - postero-lateral view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 10: Female - ovipositor tip - lateral view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 11: Female - propodeum, petiole and T2 - dorso-lateral view - microscope low magnification - silver background
7: Gelis agilis (Black Garden-ant-mimic Ichneumon)
22 Jul 2018 OSGR: SU01 50° 60’ N, 1° 60’ W Vice County: South Wilts (VC 8) England
Female, by general sweeping, at 9pm
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 2: Female - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 3: Female - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 4: Female - head and antennal bases - anterior view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 5: Female - head and thorax - lateral view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 6: Female - head - anterior view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 7: Female - head - dorsal view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 8: Female - head - lateral view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 9: Female - head, thorax and part of propodeum - dorsal view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 10: Female - head to propodeum - dorsal view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 11: Female - propodeum and petiole - dorsal view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 12: Female - propodeum and tergites 1-2 - lateral view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 13: Female - propodeum - postero-dorsal view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 14: Female - tergites 1-2 - lateral view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 15: Female - thorax and propodeum - dorsal view - microscope low magnification - silver background

Identification Works

AuthorYearTitleSource
Harvey, J.A. 2008 Comparing and contrasting development and reproductive strategies in the pupal hyperparasitoids Lysibia nana and Gelis agilis (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) Evol Ecol Vol 22: 153-166.

Gelis agilis (Black Garden-ant-mimic Ichneumon) may also be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Gelis agilis (Black Garden-ant-mimic Ichneumon)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 2 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Gelis agilis (Black Garden-ant-mimic Ichneumon)
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