Long-Tailed Giant Ichneumon Wasp

image of female Long-Tailed Giant Ichneumon Wasp on tree trunk
Scientific Name
Megarhyssa macrurus
Family
Ichneumonidae (ichneumon wasps) in the order Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps)
Description

The long-tailed giant ichneumon wasp, Megarhyssa macrurus, belongs to a genus called the giant ichneumons. Using her 4-inch-long ovipositor, the female of this species drills through decaying wood to deposit eggs onto a larval pigeon tremex, Missouri's most commonly encountered species of horntail wasp.

Learn more about the long-tailed giant ichneumon wasp and other ichneumons in their group page.

Media Gallery
image of female Long-Tailed Giant Ichneumon Wasp on tree trunk
The long-tailed giant ichneumon wasp, Megarhyssa macrurus, belongs to a genus called the giant ichneumons. Using her 4-inch-long ovipositor, the female of this species drills through decaying wood to deposit eggs onto a larval pigeon tremex, a type of horntail wasp.
Donna Brunet
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Female long-tailed giant ichneumon wasp resting on the side of a house, ovipositor outstretched
The female long-tailed giant ichneumon wasp has a breathtakingly long ovipositor. It's harmless to people.
Julianna Schroeder
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Giant Ichneumon
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image of female Long-Tailed Giant Ichneumon Wasp on tree trunk
Female long-tailed giant ichneumon wasp resting on the side of a house, ovipositor outstretched
Giant Ichneumon
Similar Species
About Land Invertebrates in Missouri
Invertebrates are animals without backbones, including earthworms, slugs, snails, and arthropods. Arthropods—invertebrates with “jointed legs” — are a group of invertebrates that includes crayfish, shrimp, millipedes, centipedes, mites, spiders, and insects. There may be as many as 10 million species of insects alive on earth today, and they probably constitute more than 90 percent all animal species.