Large Shaggy Bee vs Japanese Giant Ichneumon
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Large Shaggy Bee | Japanese Giant Ichneumon |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Panurgus banksianus | Megarhyssa praecellens |
| Order | Hymenoptera | Hymenoptera |
| Family | Melittidae | Ichneumonidae |
| Size | 10-13 mm | 30-45 mm body, ovipositor up to 80 mm |
| Habitat | Beaches & Coastal | Forests |
| Diet | Pollen Feeders | Wood Feeders |
| Regions | Europe | Japan, Eastern Asia |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Large Shaggy Bee
A densely hairy black bee that specializes on composite flowers, particularly hawkbits and dandelions. Males have distinctively swollen, lemon-yellow faces.
Did You Know?
Males' bright yellow face patches are thought to mimic the yellow disc florets of the composites they frequent, possibly to ambush females visiting flowers.
Japanese Giant Ichneumon
One of the largest ichneumon wasps in Asia with a remarkably long ovipositor. It parasitizes wood-boring horntail larvae in Japanese forests.
Did You Know?
Japanese naturalists have studied this species since the Edo period, and it appears in historical entomological scrolls.