Red-legged Pimpla vs Gypsy Moth Parasite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Red-legged Pimpla Gypsy Moth Parasite
Scientific Name Pimpla rufipes Cotesia melanoscela
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Ichneumonidae Braconidae
Size 10-15 mm 2-4 mm
Habitat Heathland Woodlands
Diet Omnivores Parasitoids
Regions Europe, Asia, North Africa Europe, Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Red-legged Pimpla

A robust black ichneumon wasp with distinctive reddish-orange legs. It parasitizes a wide range of moth and butterfly pupae.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the most generalist ichneumon wasps, recorded parasitizing over 100 different host species.

Gypsy Moth Parasite

A small braconid introduced to North America to control the invasive gypsy moth. It attacks early-instar caterpillars and larvae emerge to pupate externally.

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Did You Know?

It was one of the first parasitoid wasps deliberately imported to North America for classical biological control in the early 1900s.