Yellow Ophion vs Large White

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Yellow Ophion Large White
Scientific Name Ophion obscuratus Pieris brassicae
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Ichneumonidae Pieridae
Size 14-18 mm 58-63 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Parasitoids Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe Europe, Asia, Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Yellow Ophion

A laterally flattened, tawny-yellow parasitoid wasp active at dusk and after dark. Its larvae develop as internal parasitoids of noctuid moth caterpillars.

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Did You Know?

Its laterally compressed abdomen is thought to help it slip between grass blades when searching for host caterpillars.

Large White

A common white butterfly with black wingtips and one or two black spots on the forewing. Its green-yellow caterpillars are a major agricultural pest of brassica crops.

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Did You Know?

The caterpillars sequester mustard oils from their food plants and can spray these noxious chemicals at attacking predators.