Steelblue Ichneumon vs Pine False Webworm

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Steelblue Ichneumon Pine False Webworm
Scientific Name Lissopimpla excelsa Acantholyda erythrocephala
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Ichneumonidae Pamphiliidae
Size 12-18 mm 10-15 mm (adult)
Habitat Orchards Farmland
Diet Parasitoids Omnivores
Regions Australia, New Zealand Europe, North America
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Steelblue Ichneumon

A metallic blue-black ichneumon wasp native to Australia. It is an important parasitoid of pest caterpillars including the introduced cabbage moth.

💡

Did You Know?

It was deliberately introduced to New Zealand to help control pest moth populations in agriculture.

Pine False Webworm

An invasive European sawfly that defoliates pines in North America. Unlike typical sawflies, larvae are solitary and spin silk tubes on branches.

💡

Did You Know?

Larvae feed inside silken tubes spun among the needles, unlike the gregarious feeding of most pine sawflies.