Megarhyssa greenei Viereck, 1911

Pook, Victoria G., Sharkey, Michael J. & Wahl, David B., 2016, Key to the species of Megarhyssa (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Rhyssinae) in America, north of Mexico, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 63 (1), pp. 137-148 : 139-141

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Ichneumonidae

Megarhyssa greenei Viereck, 1911 Figs 3, 4

Megarhyssa greenei Viereck, 1910. In Smith, N. J. State Mus., Ann. Rpt. for 1909, p. 627. Nomen nudum.

Megarhyssa greenei Viereck, 1911. U. S. Natl. Mus., Proc. 40: 191.

Megarhyssa greenei floridana Townes, 1960. U. S. Natl. Mus. Bul. 216 (pt. 2): 424. Synonymized by Carlson (1979).

Geographic range.

Most specimens are found in the eastern Nearctic to about longitude 96 °W, with some found as far west as Wyoming ( Townes and Townes 1960).

Hosts.

Tremex columba ( Townes 1944; Townes and Townes 1960; Heatwole and Davis 1965; Stillwell 1967).

Diagnosis.

Female: Head mostly yellow; mesosoma reddish-brown and yellow. Metasoma reddish-brown, each tergite with an angled yellow band; bands on the third and following tergites interrupted on the midline. Fore wing 12 to 27 mm long. Wings hyaline and the fore wing usually with a large brown patch at the base of cell 2R1. Ovipositor sheath about 1.8 times as long as fore wing.

Females can be distinguished from Megarhyssa atrata by their reddish-brown and yellow body color; from Megarhyssa nortoni by the angled yellow bands on their metasoma; and from Megarhyssa macrurus by the lack of vertical stripes on the face.

Male: Head mostly yellow; mesosoma reddish-brown and yellow; metasoma reddish-brown with yellow and black markings on first two or three tergites. Wings hyaline; fore wing 10 to 16 mm long.

Males can be distinguished from Megarhyssa atrata by their mesosoma color; from Megarhyssa nortoni and Megarhyssa macrurus by the lack of vertical stripes on the face.