Yellow Ophion vs Patchwork Leafcutter Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Yellow Ophion Patchwork Leafcutter Bee
Scientific Name Ophion obscuratus Megachile centuncularis
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Ichneumonidae Megachilidae
Size 14-18 mm 7-12 mm
Habitat Farmland Gardens
Diet Parasitoids Herbivores
Regions Europe Western Europe, Central Europe, Northern Europe
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.

Patchwork Leafcutter Bee

A solitary bee that neatly cuts oval pieces from rose and other leaves to line its nest cells. The characteristic semicircular cuts it leaves on leaves are a familiar garden sight.

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Did You Know?

Each nest cell requires around 15 precisely cut leaf pieces to construct.