Sphecophaga vesparum (Curtis, 1828)
(a cryptine ichneumon)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesSphecophaga vesparum (a cryptine ichneumon)
TribeCryptini (a tribe of cryptine ichneumons)
SubfamilyCRYPTINAE (cryptine 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 Sphecophaga vesparum (a cryptine ichneumon) :
1: Sphecophaga vesparum (a cryptine ichneumon)
30 May 2023 OSGR: SU00 50° 50’ N, 1° 60’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
Female, in garden Malaise Trap
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - close-up - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 2: Female - dorsal view - close-up - enlarged - silver background (2)Image 3: Female - dorsal view - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 4: Female - dorsal view - enlarged - silver background (2)Image 5: Female - head and antennal bases - dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 6: Female - head and antennal bases - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 7: Female - head and antennal bases - postero-dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 8: Female - head and antennal bases - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 9: Female - head and mesosoma - antero-dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 10: Female - head and mesosoma - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 11: Female - head and mesosoma - postero-dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 12: Female - head and thorax - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 13: Female - lateral view - close-up - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 14: Female - lateral view - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 15: Female - mesosoma and petiole - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 16: Female - mesosoma - dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 17: Female - mesosternum and posterior coxae - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 18: Female - scutellum and propodeum - dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 19: Female - ventral view - close-up - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 20: Female - head and antennal bases - anterior view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 21: Female - head - anterior view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 22: Female - petiole and T2 - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 23: Female - petiole - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 24: Female - propodeum - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 25: Female - propodeum - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 26: Female - propodeum, petiole and T2 - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver background
2: Sphecophaga vesparum (a cryptine ichneumon)
28 May 2021 OSGR: ST71 50° 50’ N, 2° 20’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
Female, swept from woodland ground flora
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - close-up - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 2: Female - dorsal view - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 3: Female - head and mesosoma - antero-dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 4: Female - head and mesosoma - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 5: Female - head and mesosoma - postero-dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 6: Female - head and thorax - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 7: Female - head - antero-dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 8: Female - head - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 9: Female - head - postero-dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 10: Female - head - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 11: Female - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 12: Female - mesosternum - ventral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 13: Female - scutellum and propodeum - dorsal view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 14: Female - ventral view - close-up - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 15: Female - head and antennal bases - anterior view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 16: Female - head - anterior view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 17: Female - propodeum and petiole - dorsal view - microscope low magnification - silver backgroundImage 18: Female - propodeum and petiole - lateral view - microscope low magnification - silver background

Identification Works

AuthorYearTitleSource
Donovan, B.J. 1991 Life cycle of Sphecophaga vesparum (Curtis) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), a parasitoid of some vespid wasps New Zealand Journal of Zoology Vol 18 (2): 181-192.

Sphecophaga vesparum (a cryptine ichneumon) may also be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Sphecophaga vesparum (a cryptine ichneumon)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 0 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Sphecophaga vesparum (a cryptine ichneumon)
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