Emerald Cuckoo Wasp vs Lunate Ichneumon

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Emerald Cuckoo Wasp Lunate Ichneumon
Scientific Name Stilbum cyanurum Megarhyssa greenei
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Chrysididae Ichneumonidae
Size 10-18 mm 25-40 mm body, ovipositor up to 80 mm
Habitat Underground Woodlands
Diet Nectar Feeders Parasitoids
Regions Africa, Southern Asia, Australia, Southern Europe North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Emerald Cuckoo Wasp

One of the largest and most spectacular cuckoo wasps with a vivid metallic green and blue body. It parasitizes mud dauber wasp nests across the Old World tropics.

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Did You Know?

It is the largest cuckoo wasp in the world and its metallic colors can shift from green to blue depending on the viewing angle.

Lunate Ichneumon

A reddish-brown parasitoid wasp native to North America. It targets horntail larvae in hardwood trees and uses its long ovipositor to reach them.

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Did You Know?

It is the smallest of the three North American Megarhyssa species but still impressively large.