European Banded Ichneumon vs Cricket Strepsipteran

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute European Banded Ichneumon Cricket Strepsipteran
Scientific Name Amblyteles armatorius Caenocholax fenyesi
Order Hymenoptera Strepsiptera
Family Ichneumonidae Myrmecolacidae
Size 14-18 mm 1.5-3.0 mm (males)
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Parasitoids Parasites
Regions Europe North America, Central America
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

European Banded Ichneumon

A striking black and yellow ichneumon wasp that closely resembles a social wasp. It is a common parasitoid of noctuid moth pupae in soil.

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Did You Know?

Its convincing mimicry of social wasps protects it from predators despite being completely harmless to humans.

Cricket Strepsipteran

An unusual strepsipteran whose males parasitize ants while females parasitize crickets. This dual-host system is unique among parasites.

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Did You Know?

Males and females of this species parasitize completely different insect orders, a phenomenon unique to the family Myrmecolacidae.