Megarhyssa macrurus (Linnaeus, 1771)

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 : 142

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Ichneumonidae

Megarhyssa macrurus (Linnaeus, 1771) Figs 5, 6

Megarhyssa macrurus There are three subspecies:

Megarhyssa macrurus icterosticta Michener

Megarhyssa lunator icterosticta Michener, 1939. Pan-Pacific Ent. 15: 130.

Megarhyssa macrurus lunator (Fabricius)

Ichneumon lunator Fabricius, 1781. Species Insectorum, v. 1, p. 430.

Thalessa ? histrio Kriechbaumer, 1890. Wien, Mus. der Naturgesch., Ann. 5: 487. Preocc. in Megarhyssa by Ichneumon histrio Christ, 1791.

Megarhyssa macrurus macrurus (Linneaus)

Ichneumon macrurus Linnaeus, 1771. Mantissa Plantarum, v. 2, p. 540.

Ichneumon georgicus Megerle, 1803. Appendix ad Cat. Ins., Quae Mense Novembris 1802 Vienne Austriae Auctionis Lege Vendita Fuere, p. 16.

Megarhyssa lunatrix Schulz, 1906. Spolia Hym., p. 115. Emendation.

Megarhyssa lunator phaeoptila Michener, 1939. Pan-Pacific Ent. 15: 129.

Note.

The specific epithet macrura is commonly applied to this species, however the name macrurus was interpreted by Townes (1944) and Townes and Townes (1960) as a noun and therefore is not required to match the gender of the genus name.

Geographic range.

Megarhyssa macrurus icterosticta is found in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Megarhyssa macrurus lunator ranges across the eastern Nearctic to the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Megarhyssa macrurus macrurus extends from Florida to south-western Texas, and has been collected in Mexico (Chihuahua).

Hosts.

Tremex columba (Carlson, 1979).

Diagnosis.

Female. Head yellow and dark brown, with two vertical stripes on face, one below each antennal socket. Mesosoma and metasoma ranging from dark brown to reddish-brown and yellow. Each tergite with an angled yellow band interrupted on the third to sixth tergites. Wings hyaline with brown patches; fore wing 18 to 29 mm long. Ovipositor sheath about 3.0 times as long as fore wing.

Females can be distinguished from Megarhyssa atrata by their body color; from Megarhyssa nortoni by the angled yellow bands on the tergites; and from Megarhyssa greenei by the vertical stripes on the face.

It should be noted that Carlson (1979) did not separate Megarhyssa macrurus lunator from Megarhyssa macrurus macrurus.

Male. Head yellow and dark brown, with two vertical stripes on face, one below each antennal socket. Mesosoma yellow and blackish brown, metasoma brown, first and second tergites with a short yellow band on hind margin. Wings hyaline, fore wing 7 to 21 mm long with a brown patch at the base of cell 2R1.

Males can be distinguished from the other species occurring in the USA and Canada by the brown patch at the base of cell 2R1 of the fore wing and the presence of two vertical stripes on the face.