Enicospilus sp. (genus)

An ichneumon wasp at Ainslie, ACT

Request use of media

Identification history

Enicospilus CNM sp1	8 Feb 2020	jb2602
Enicospilus sp. (genus)	17 Dec 2019	jb2602
Enicospilus sp. (genus)	16 Dec 2019	michaelb

Identify this sighting

Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.

9 comments

jb2602 wrote:

17 Dec 2019

These photos were loaded onto iNaturalist and the name was corrected from Netelia to Enicospilus. How do you distinguish between the two from the photos?

michaelb wrote:

17 Dec 2019

See the notes on the page for Enicospilus sp.:
https://canberra.naturemapr.org/Community/Species/Sightings/34056
"Superficially similar to Netelia, but the sclerotized (hardened) flecks in the forewing separate it."

michaelb wrote:

17 Dec 2019

Looking at the sightings of Netelia sp.... some of them may need to be reviewed with this bit of information, for example:

Netelia sp. (genus) (An Ichneumon wasp) on 28 Sep 2018
and

Netelia sp. (genus) (An Ichneumon wasp) on 18 Sep 2019

jb2602 wrote:

18 Dec 2019

I don't know what to look for with the sclerotized flecks (I can only see wing mirror reflection from the flash) but Netelia has a small petiolate cell in forewing, ophionines don't.

michaelb wrote:

18 Dec 2019

I've edited the first photo, and added it back to the sighting, with an arrow pointing to what I thought might be the sclerotized flecks, which seem to be absent from Netelia sp. What do you think?

jb2602 wrote:

18 Dec 2019

I just had a look at a few on iNaturalist and most seem to have that mark so it looks good. Here's one that doesn't though: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4084501 (haven't looked at Natelia yet to see if any of them have it).

jb2602 wrote:

18 Dec 2019

Maybe it's the whole clear section in that region of that cell rather than the brown spot?

michaelb wrote:

18 Dec 2019

Maybe - thanks for the pics by email

jb2602 wrote:

9 Feb 2020

E. skeltonii, E. amlipennis and E. samoanus all have very similar fenestras with no central sclerite. E samoanus has an AI index r/p of 0.9 - 1.1 within the range of this specimen and the correct bulge in the throat of the horsehead cell and so is the best fit. See fig 134, Ophioninae of Australia, Gauld 1977. The name Enicospilus samoanus does not exist in any current classification system. It appears to be E. dolosus. Also, Gauld states that it is only in Qld.

Please Login or Register to comment.